title: The risks and benefits of infant feeding practices for women and their children.
abstract: Infant feeding decisions affect maternal and child health outcomes, worldwide. Even in settings with clean water and good sanitation, infants who are not breast-fed face an increased risk of infectious, as well as non-infectious morbidity and mortality. The decision not to breast-feed can also adversely affect mothers' health by increasing the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease. Clinicians who counsel mothers about the health impact of infant feeding and provide evidence-based care to maximize successful breast-feeding, can improve the short and long-term health of both mothers and infants.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7516, USA. ASTUEBE@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Stuebe
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Schwarz
mesh_terms: D001903:Bottle Feeding; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002657:Child Development; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health