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Editorial
October 2013

Breastfeeding and Childhood Obesity: Where Do We Go From Here?

Author Affiliations
  • 1College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
  • 2Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn Counties, Corvallis, Oregon
  • 3Skyline Lactation Care, Charlottesville, Virginia
  • 4School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
JAMA Pediatr. 2013;167(10):894-895. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.2854

Breast is best. Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that Baby needs no other foods or drinks, even water, for 6 months.1,2 Mother should then continue to nurse him (throughout this article, we refer to the child as “he” to distinguish him from his mother), while offering age-appropriate complementary foods, for several more months1 or years.2 These recommendations are based on a vast body of research that consistently provides evidence of positive outcomes for both Mother and Baby associated with increased duration of breastfeeding.1,3-7

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