Anti-Obesity Baby Formula - Prevention To Start At Birth?

Most doctors will agree that breast feeding your baby is better than giving it formula. Some doctors are going as far as to say that it could also be the difference between being overweight as an adult or not.

This has caused researched at the University of Buckingham to experiment with adding leptin, a hormone naturally found in breast milk, to baby formulas and foods.

It’s been noted that babies who are given formula grow at a quicker rate than those who receive their mother’s milk. They are also less likely to become obese later in life.

The formulas have yet to be tested on human infants, but laboratory experiments on rats have shown promising results. The offspring of rats given the hormone during pregnancy stayed slim when fed a fattening diet; the offspring of those who didn’t receive leptin gained weight and even developed diabetes.

Dr. Nick Finer says the discovery is “exciting but at the same time so scary.” He also questions the ethical component too—is it fair to test something like this on a new born?

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