Breast Milk versus Formula
Research, carried extensively across hospitals and healthcare centers over the years, has conclusively established the superiority of mother's breastmilk over formula milk. Breast milk is now considered to be the best gift that any parent can give to her new-born child.
Studies carried out between groups of breast-fed infants and bottle-fed infants consistently show that the former are less susceptible to be admitted in hospital for health reasons. They are more resistant to diseases such as pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, diarrhea, rashes, German measles and a host of allergies, as compared to bottle-fed infants. Infant mortality rate has also been perceived to be higher in bottle-fed infants.
The Food and Drug Administration has come out with stringent regulation procedures for commercially prepared formulas. The manufacturer of formula milk is required to analyze each batch of the product that comes from the factory floor for required nutrients. All containers are coded for easy batch identification. During the shelf-life of the product, samples are tested randomly for its stability by health officers.
Though formula milk tries its best to imitate breast milk, it is still a close second. What makes breast milk so superior? The reason is still a mystery. Human milk is very complex, and not much, beyond mundane chemical composition, has become known about it. Fat forms a major source of calories in breast milk, which is logically justified, since infants require a lot of energy for those cells to grow rapidly and multiply; and they have no other food to source from. Other ingredients include living cells, hormones, active enzymes, immunoglobins and compounds with quite unique structures. About eighty percent of the cells in breast milk are disease resistant antibodies and macrophages. These antibodies are dynamically generated inside the mother's body, in response to whatever disease is present in the environment of the mother and the child. Thus, whenever the child is nursing or feeding on expressed milk, it is getting food that is customized for its immediate surroundings. This is a feature that no formula milk can ever beat!
There are a few situations, however, when breast milk is not adviced, and formula milk is the only way out. Mothers suffering from HIV positive AIDS, herpes, hepatitis, and beta streptococcus infections can transmit these diseases through their breast milk. Mothers with silicone breast implants risk leaky implants to harm the baby; with some studies reporting a link between silicone and esophagus problems of children.
In cases where infants are not able to be breast-fed, it is recommended to go in for cow's milk-based formula. However, lactose intolerance in the child should be continuously monitored. Adverse reactions to cow's milk could include excessive gas, abdominal distension and pain, and diarrhea. An alternative in such situation is to start with soy formula, which though not as protein-rich as cow's milk, has abundant carbohydrates such as sucrose and corn syrup. These can be easily digested and absorbed by infants. The calcium present in the formula, besides other minerals, don't get absorbed by the child, however.
A third alternative formula milk is hydrolyzed proteins. This milk is made from cow's milk, with an additional processing that breaks complex protein molecules into its component parts, making it predigested, and thus making it easier on the child's inner stomach linings, besides reducing any risks of allergy.
Iron-fortification of formula milk - to the extent of about twelve milligrams of iron per liter - is carried out by quite a few formula milk manufacturers. However, there is another set of formulas available with low iron too, where the iron content is about two milligrams per liter. Such groupings exist to cater to children with either type of requirements. Again, studies have established that infants absorbs virtually one hundred percent of iron from human milk, but considerably less from infant formula. So, the breast milk is a winner, every step of the way!