Should the government consider breast feeding a public health issue? New research could suggest just that. A study released Monday in the Journal of Pediatrics revealed that, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast fed their babies for the first six months of life, an estimated 900 babies and billions of dollars would be saved each year.
Breast milk contains antibodies that help infants battle infections that can end up being both costly and deadly. About 43 percent of mothers in the U.S. breast feed at least occasionally during the first six months of life, but only 12 percent follow government guidelines that recommend a breast milk exclusive diet for the first half year.
Full story at Yahoo! News.