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Human Milk and Infant Formula: Nutritional Content and Health Benefits

  • Chapter
Beverage Impacts on Health and Nutrition

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Abstract

Current recommendations by Health Canada and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) are to exclusively breast-feed for the first 6 months of life with human milk being the primary source of milk [1–3]. Formula feeding is recommended for those who choose not to breast-feed. The consumption of whole or reduced fat cow’s milk is not recommended during the first year of life [4]. As of 2010, about 75 % of mothers in the USA initiate breast-feeding and 13 % continue to exclusively breast-feed to 6 months [5]. In Canada, the rate of initiation of breast-feeding is 90.3 % while the rate of exclusive breast-feeding at 3 months is 51.7 %. Six months after birth, the proportions of exclusively breast-fed infants further fall to 14.4 % [6].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    James K. Friel Ph.D. & Wafaa A. Qasem M.D.

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  1. James K. Friel Ph.D.
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  2. Wafaa A. Qasem M.D.
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Correspondence to James K. Friel Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Winona State University Department of Biology, Winona, Minnesota, USA

    Ted Wilson

  2. Athabasca University Centre for Science, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada

    Norman J. Temple

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Friel, J.K., Qasem, W.A. (2016). Human Milk and Infant Formula: Nutritional Content and Health Benefits. In: Wilson, T., Temple, N. (eds) Beverage Impacts on Health and Nutrition. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23672-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23672-8_11

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23671-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23672-8

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