Ladies, may I have your attention please? I know what you're thinking. Another formula article? But wait! Don't despair!
We have another entry in the baby feeding wars, and this one may be a game changer. Scientists studying formula think they have found a simple fix to bring bottle-fed babies more in line with their breastfed peers.
Are you ready for this? They think they can add more of the amino acids lactating mamas make for their babies to the cow's milk stuff other moms choose to give their wee ones. See? Moms all on the same page, they're trying to feed babies the same thing. Winning!
But wait, there's more! If we take this study and put it into practice, we might just be able to kill the "fat" formula-fed baby debate for good. Phewww!
In an admittedly small study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (there were just 30 families), scientists say they've been able to prove that formula that has extra glutamate keeps babies from "over-eating" from their bottles. Commonly found in abundance in breastmilk, there isn't as much of this building block of protein in cow's milk. But it seems this stuff could be what tells babies they're full and make them stop eating.
Wahoo!
Science has gone back and forth on formula and weight issues so much it was hard for us breastfeeding failures (raises hand), women who couldn't breastfeed, and women who just plain chose to go the formula route not to feel like we sucked (no pun intended). No mom wants to start their kid off on the path to childhood obesity from the get-go! But the researchers were spending so much time changing their minds that we had no definitive answers.
Now we have something fairly definitive that we can point to and say, yeah, there is a way to make this whole thing work!
It's definitely worth noting that this particular study was funded by a group that makes amino acids. But don't write it off right away. Researchers have been talking about the benefits of glutamate in breastmilk for years. It turns out the glutumate in breastmilk has been linked to receptors in the tongue and plays an important role in glucose production.
And since I'm all about trying to bring moms together, I need to point out again: this is good for the breastfeeding group too! Scientists are acknowledging the golden elixir coming out of your mammary glands really does rock. It's so awesome, in fact, that they are turning to what you make to improve the stuff other moms use.
So let's hear it for moms feeling good about themselves and (more importantly really in the scheme of things) good about what they're putting into baby's tummy, huh?
Does your baby ever overeat? How have you dealt with it?
Image via mll/Flickr