Is there really a major difference in Breastfed babies and bottle fed babies in terms of long term health?

Question

For hundreds of years women had no option but to breastfeed their babies because there was no formula. So does that mean that babies were meant to only be breastfed? And with formula becoming available in the last few decades if it is second choice in feeding why does it appear to be little difference in breast & bottle fed infants. I know everyone who breast feeds says their kids are healthy and smart etc, and so do the formula feeding moms. Heck I was formula fed and I am healthy and smart. We know what scientists say but does it really make a difference? If breastfeeding the the best way to go, why do formula fed babies turn out fine? I'm just asking out of curiosity.

I thank you all for your insight so far. Most of you all have provided alot of information beyond just the typical "breast is best". I really like what NOVA147 & Babypocket basically said about giving your baby what is just "adequate nutrition" or giving them "superior nutrition". That breaks it down to where anyone can understand the difference. Formula feeding may be enough for them to get basics to grow, live, etc. but Breastfeeding gives them an edge. Like the public school, private school example. Thanks, I still welcome more comments though!!

Answer 1

I think this is similar to asking if there is really a difference in the health of people who eat a "well-balanced" diet versus those whose diet lacks in certain vitamins and minerals. Certainly, in many parts of the world, for much of history, people survived on diets that were very limited, with mostly grains and a few veggies, and occasional proteins. Now, doctors advise us to eat 5-11 servings of fruits and veggies (in a rainbow of colors), get plenty of iron, have lean protiens and whole grains, and low fat dairy products to get plenty of vitamins and minerals. Does it matter? Depends on what you mean. Can you survive without a variety of foods? Yes. But people do live longer and healthier lives when they eat plenty of vitamins and minerals in their foods.

Breastfeeding and formula are similar. Formula does provide for the babies basic needs, including vitamins and minerals for good health. But breastmilk has properties that cannot be reproduced in formula. It is specially made to fight the diseases that the baby is exposed to (as Mom develops an immunity, she passes it along to the child). It adapts over time to baby's special needs (mother's with premature infants have milk that is very high in fat to help baby grow faster). When formula was created, it was a great thing . . . now babies whose mothers died or couldn't make any milk (very rare, BTW) had a chance to survive. And formula is certainly a valid choice for infant feeding. But there is a difference.

I, too, was formula fed. I don't believe there is anything "wrong" with me. I do wonder if I could have been healthier, stronger, smarter, etc, if I had be breastfed. It's not a matter of major differences, but of little ones. To me, that's the best thing about living in this time and place. I have the opportunity to give my kids the best (breastmilk), but I know that if I can't for some reason, there is a back up.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Nutritionally they will be fine either way. The immunity passed on via breastmilk is the added bonus. However, that depends on if mom is taking care to eat well, not smoke, drink, take drugs, etc. If mom is doing all of that stuff, baby is better off w/ formula. Many formulas contain milk products or soy products, there are babies that will have trouble digesting these due to food sensitivities or allergies. I have 1 breastfed child and 1 formula fed child (adopted). My breastfed one was NEVER sick until several months after I stopped nursing. My formula fed one has been sick a number of times. Nursing is WAY cheaper and I liked the convenience of not having to drag bottles around or fumble with them in the middle of the night.

Answer 4

I honestly think it's a personal decision. I was formula fed but my daughter is breastfed. Why?! Because it's cheaper and honestly I find it easier at 4 in the morning to just breastfeed her then to go make a bottle and have her cry while I am fixing it.

Now I did have a lot of health problems as a kid but my sisters were also formula fed and they didn't have a lot of health problems so I'm not going to say that breastfed babies are healthier.

Answer 5

Lets see... where to start?

I think alot of things that are probably related to formula, never get connected to it. When you have a result show up 30 or 40 years down the line, you don't put 2 and 2 together. We can only look at statistics and see what is more or less likely to happen, which isn't always black and white.

As for the study done about intelligence... It was poorly done, they didn't take into account the lenth of breastfeeding, just that the mother had breastfed.

Formula fed babies has a higher occurance of colic and other stomach discomfort/issues. This is shown both by statistics and by life. I spend more time than i'd like to admit on message boards and 9 times out of 10 a colicky baby is formula fed.

For that reason alone, I would not chance formula-feeding. How would you like to spend the first 3-6 months of your life in constant pain and discomfort? It still happens in breastfed babies, but its not as common.

Formula fed infants tend to be less satisfied by formula alone for as long as BF infants. This leads to starting solids too early, more tummy issues, possibly allergies, diabetes etc...

Breastfeeding toddlers cuts down on fits and helps durring the 'picky' stage. Also, breastfed infants are less likely to be picky in the first place. But, when they are, you can ensure they get adequate nutrition throughout their many stages.

Personally, I was formula fed. Yes, I am alive and well and obviously very intelligent (joke!), but the more I learn about nutrition and digestion, the more I see roots to formula.
I am allergic to dairy, and have suffered many many years of seasonal allergies because of it. I never knew it was due to an allergy, but now I see how its all interconnected. I have very poor gut flora, which I am now trying to correct. But that, im sure, is directly related to being formula fed. I have a pretty bad potato chip addiction... but that's probably more due to my bad eating habits growing up :)

The last 14 months of nursing my son has been a learning experience for me. I have learned more about nutrition and nature and the circle of life in the past year, than i did in the 22 leading up to it. I believe that this has prepared me more for raising a healthy child.

Answer 6

I think genetics has a lot to do with it actually.....I was formula fed and I was a very healthy child and young adult (remember that the breastfeeding/formula only lasts exclusively for 6 to 8 months and then you start baby food and soon table food, so you have many opportunities to feed your kids nutrients and vitamins etc...)....now that I'm a parent, I find myself catching a lot of the colds my kids bring home from school, but other than that, we are fairly healthy....I breastfed my kids and I wouldn't have it any other way....there are other advantages to breastfeeding once you get past the initial pain....LOL.....convenience, closeness w/baby, helps you lose the weight, etc...

Answer 7

That's really interesting. Now you've got me wondering about jaw development and how it progresses and for how long. Given that the rate and length time that babies breastfeed varies so much, did it say if breastfeeding had to occur for a certain length of time to have a difference? It seems like it would be pretty variable. It makes sense that there would be some differences in jaw development, but you'd probably need a pretty trained eye (and maybe a bit of a crystal ball) to tell the difference sometimes!

Answer 8

It has been said that breastfed babies have less ear infections that bottle feed babies. My 1 son was formula fed and he had only a couple of ear infections. My daughter was exclusively breast fed for 4 months and she got 2 ear infections. Right after the baby is born your body makes colostrum which is full of immune builders. If you breastfeed the first 4 or 5 days are the best.

Answer 9

There are several health benefits to the breast feeding mother (not just the child). The more children breast-fed for longer periods, the more the risk of several cancers goes down.

To me it’s kind of the difference between “good enough” and “what’s best”.

Kinda like, public school is good enough and private school is what’s best. It’s all a matter of opinion and what you can or can’t do. As a parent, I don’t think I’ll be able to send my kids to a private school, but a public school will be good enough and get the job done.

What’s the long term difference? Depends on the child.

Answer 10

I'm not sure that the percentage of women who are medically unable to breastfeed has changed significantly over time. Before formula, they used wet nurses for those children (or other lactating woman in the tribe or village). Formula feeding was very in vogue about a half century ago, and you're right, people turned out fine. Recently, the link between intelligence and breast/formula feeding was refuted in the medical literature (intelligence was found to be more highly correlated with environment).

I think you just tend to find those people whose righteous indignation about other's choices have loud voices.