- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- Climate Change Could Sting Allergy, Asthma Sufferers
- Air Pollution May Raise Blood Pressure
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture Cuts Dry Mouth in Cancer Patients
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy
- ANIMAL CARE
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Pain More a Cause of Arthritis Than a Symptom
- Autumn Sees More Women With Bunion Problems
- Scientists ID New Genes Tied to Crohn's Disease
- CANCER
- Method for Treating Cervical Lesions May Pose Pregnancy Risks
- Herb May Counter Liver Damage From Chemo
- Broccoli May Help Battle Breast Cancer
- CAREGIVING
- Caregiving May Lengthen Life
- UV Lights, Fans May Curb TB Spread in Hospitals
- Weekend Admission May Be Riskier for GI Bleeding
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good
- Migraines in Pregnancy Boost Vascular Risks
- Grapefruit-Heavy Diet Helped Spur Dangerous Clot
- COSMETIC
- Wrinkle Fillers Need Better Label Warnings: FDA Panel
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Obesity Boosts Gum Disease Risk
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- Gum Disease May Reactivate AIDS Virus
- DIABETES
- Patients' Photos Help Boost Radiologists' Accuracy
- Doctors Urged to Screen Diabetics for Sleep Apnea
- Insulin Resistance Tied to Peripheral Artery Disease
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Shedding Light on Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help the Heart
- Low Vitamin D Levels May Initiate Cancer Development
- Compound in Berries May Lessen Sun Damage
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Years of Exposure to Traffic Pollution Raises Blood Pressure
- Smog Standards Need Tightening, Activists Say
- Bed Bugs Bring No Disease Danger
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Autistic Children Make Limited Eye Contact
- Poor Night Vision May Predict Age-Related Eye Disease
- Retinal Gene Is Linked to Childhood Blindness
- FITNESS
- Exercise Key Player in Knee Replacement Recovery
- Community Exercise Programs Boost Seniors' Strength
- Simple Steps Get Walkers Moving
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- HRT Use Raises Risk of Stomach Trouble
- GENERAL HEALTH
- 'Soda Tax' Wins Health Experts' Support
- Play Creatively as a Kid, Be a Healthier Adult
- Vinegar Might Help Keep Off Pounds
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Cherry-Enriched Diet Cut Heart Risks in Rats
- How Weight Loss Can Help the Heart
- Women Who Run May Benefit From Extra Folic Acid
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Viral Infection Might Trigger High Blood Pressure
- Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- KID'S HEALTH
- Wood Fires Can Harm the Youngest Lungs
- Play Creatively as a Kid, Be a Healthier Adult
- Music May Temper Pain in Preemies
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Countdown to Hair Loss
- Eating Fast Until Full Triples Overweight Risk
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Environmental Chemicals May Affect Male Reproduction
- Heal Your Life® Tips for Living Well
- Green Spaces Boost the Body and the Mind
- PREGNANCY
- Exercise As Well As Acupuncture, May Ease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- Obesity May Affect Fertility in Young Womene
- SENIORS
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Healthy Diet Could Cut Alzheimer's Disease Risk
- Any Old Cane Won't Do
Moms Who Breast-Feed Less Likely to Neglect Child
By eHolistic.com Published: 01/26/2009
MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Mothers who breast-feed are less likely to neglect their children, Australian researchers report.
In their study, the scientists followed 7,223 Australian women and their children for 15 years and found that the longer a mother breast-fed her child, the lower the risk of neglect.
Mothers who breast-fed for less than four months were twice as likely to neglect their children as those who breast-fed four months or more. Women who didn't breast-feed were 3.8 times more likely to neglect their children as mothers who breast-fed for at least four months.
Even after they adjusted for other factors, such as socioeconomic status, substance abuse and depression, the researchers found a strong association between breast-feeding and motherly care.
The findings were published in the February issue of Pediatrics.
Previous research has suggested how breast-feeding may help form a strong mother-infant bond, study senior author Dr. Lane Strathearn, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, said in a Baylor news release.
"Oxytocin is a critical hormone produced during breast-feeding that promotes and reinforces maternal behavior. Animal studies have shown that this hormone is critical for the initiation of maternal behaviors in animals," Strathearn said. "It may be that breast-feeding stimulates oxytocin production in the brain, helping to develop the attachment relationship of the mother and her baby. Or the factors that help shape the development of the oxytocin system in the brain may predispose to successful breast-feeding and nurturance of the baby."
"Promoting breast-feeding may be a simple and cost-effective way to strengthen the mother-infant relationship. Providing the economic and social support for new mothers to stay at home with their babies may help accomplish this goal. The simple fact that women have such limited maternity leave inhibits them from strengthening this relationship," Strathearn said.
"Maternal neglect represents a fundamental breakdown in the relationship between a mother and her child, as the mom fails to provide the physical and emotional caregiving that an infant requires for optimal development. Breast-feeding may be a natural way to support the mother-infant relationship, reducing the risk of neglect in the long term."
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has more about breast-feeding.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Baylor College of Medicine, news release, Jan. 26, 2009
Last Updated: Jan. 26, 2009
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