Health strategy: Breastfeeding cuts childhood obesity

Tuesday 18 July 2017

Babies who have been breastfed are at “a reduced risk of childhood obesity” and, in turn, are less likely to be obese as adults, according to Jersey’s Food and Nutrition Strategy.

It's one of a number of ways the States now want to promote more healthy living. They have allocated £400,000 for the strategy, which will be supported by a potential tax on unhealthy foods. The strategy details plans of action across the hospitality, education and commercial sectors in order to tackle "poor diet, obesity and rising levels of diet-related disease in the island."

The Health Department plans to encourage more breastfeeding as part of an attempt "to reduce diet-related disease in the Jersey population."

Their report describes breast milk as “the only perfect food” which gives children, “...the best chances of going on to have a healthy weight through childhood and adulthood.”

Commenting on the link between a healthy weight and breastfeeding, Jersey’s Medical Officer for Health, Dr Susan Turnbull said: “Breastfeeding is unequivocally the best start for any baby. Babies who are breastfed have got less chance of developing infections or allergies and they’re more likely to go through childhood at a healthy weight, because they have had that perfectly balanced food for the first months of their life."

Pictured: A graph included in the food strategy which indicates the "low levels" of breastfeeding by six to eight weeks in the island. According to the strategy, "breastfeeding for six months has the most significant health benefits."

Dr Turnbull added: "It’s about a balance of metabolism and a taste for different foodstuffs is influenced even from those very early stages. The fact is, if you start in early childhood at a healthy weight, the chances of you remaining at that healthy weight are very high. Bottle milk is an acceptable alternative, but the first choice should always be breast milk. Bottle-fed babies have less chance of staying on an even track at healthy weight during childhood.”

The 'Future Jersey' report, compiled of the results of the 'My Jersey' public survey, identified a long-term ambition to improve the rate of breastfeeding in the island.

Picture: The results of the 'My Jersey' survey indicated that islanders want to improve the rates of breastfeeding in Jersey.

The five-year strategy identifies three population-level indicators, which are linked to diet-related disease. These consist of the rate of breastfeeding, the level people who are either overweight or obese and the levels of people who are consuming the recommended levels of fruit and vegetables.

Tam Fry, Chairman of the National Obesity Forum in the UK, urged Jersey to adopt a "common approach" when combatting this issue. Mr Fry told Express: " The way I see it, Jersey has quite a lot of disparate areas that need to get together.

"The farmers, the commercial sector, retailers and restaurant groups must take a common approach [to tackling obesity] because, in a sense they have all been responsible for the position in which Jersey finds itself in and they then have got to be part of the solution.”

To read the full Food and Nutrition Strategy, click here.