Saturday, June 22, 2019
Disproves the author, proves something more interesting
RealClearScience linked this article disputing the supposed benefits of breastfeeding. The author tries to show that the correlations are mainly due to innate differences. In rich countries, richer people are more likely to breastfeed. Their babies have innate advantages since healthy and attractive people are more likely to get rich, plus the advantages of more leisure and better neighborhoods and health care.
Makes good sense. I was ready to go along with the argument.
BUT: The author cites as proof a recent study in Belarus. The study followed breastfed and formula-fed infants from 1991 to 2001. Since I'm curious about Belarus as the last true Soviet country, I read the actual article.
It doesn't prove the author's point at all. It looks like a pretty well controlled experiment in a country with low inequality and uniform ethnicity. The results show definite advantages for breastfeeding.
Despite our initial overestimate of the incidence of gastrointestinal tract infection, the risk of such infection was reduced by 40% in the intervention group. This represents a clinically substantial reduction in risk of this important cause of infant morbidity and confirms recent results of a small randomized trial in MexicoThe article also incidentally confirmed the blessings of the Soviet system, which are gradually being lost as the system fades.
An uncontaminated water supply is ensured and monitored throughout the republic by public health authorities, and hospital clinics are abundant and readily accessible, even in rural areas. ... The prolonged (approximately 3 years in most cases) obligatory maternity leave and absence of day care centers for infants in Belarus probably also played a role. ... These effects occurred against a background of a higher-than-expected breastfeeding duration in the control group. The latter may well be attributable to deteriorating economic conditions in the country during the trial and the higher costs of formula feeding. Even though locally made formula was readily available, it cost nearly 20% of an average monthly salary by the end of the study.Experience ALWAYS beats theory, even when the theory is sane and sensible.
Labels: Natural law = Soviet law
¶ 1:56 AM
