Breastfeeding-obesity link?

Question

My sister breastfed her daughter until she was 4. Soon after she stopped my niece started gaining a lot of weight. She is now 11 and extremely overweight. I'm not sure what her weight is, but she hasn't been able to wear children's clothes since she was 7. She has to shop in the plus sized section and wears a 3XL. She loses her breath really easily and I'm pretty worried about her. No one else in the family is overweight, including her mother. Is breastfeeding too long a cause of obesity?

Answer 1

If she is as overweight as you describe by clothing size at her age there might be more at play than simply diet and exercise- there are metabolic disorders and endocrine disorders that cause obesity, such as Cushings syndrome.

She should be checked out by an endocrinologist.  

Answer 2

At 4, she would have also had solids introduced into her diet for quite a while also.

What kind of food does she get fed? Does she exercise?

If anything, being breastfed till 4 is much healthier for her.

Answer 3

I breastfed my son til he was three and he is a little stick.  According to all of the research breastfeeding is less likely to cause obesity than bottle feeding.

If it is not food related or genetics, it may be hormonal. They may need to have some blood work done to see if she has a thyroid problem

Edit: according to Wikipedia. Research has shown that the longer you breastfeed the more protection from obesity you will have..

Answer 4

Actually, breastfeeding until age four would have offered her better protection against obesity than if she were drinking cows milk instead.

However, breastfeeding does not shield a child from other lifestyle choices, nor does alter other medical causes of obesity.  Has she had her thyroid checked, for instance?

The Canadian Paediatric Society and World Health Organization both recommend a AT LEAST 2 years breastfeed of breastfeeding and have no recommended maximum.  

There's no evidence; may even be some to the contrary, that breastfeeding is the root of your niece's obesity.  It may be that nursing her delayed the effects of the real cause.

My daughter nursed until she was 4.5 years old as well.  It's much healthier for them than milk from another species.

Answer 5

no it doesnt in my opinion

What other foods was and is she given

Is her diet healthy and is she given the opportunity for play and running about

Answer 6

Well i do know that breast milk gives valuable and necessary nutrients in order for babys be healthy. Breast milk also supports a healthy metabolism. Usually during the first 1 or 2 years the baby's metalbolism is developing and the breast milk helps this. But if you breast feed for too long the body can become dependent on the metabolism the breast milk provides and can stop developing its own metabolism. This could have happened in the case of your niece. Think of it like steroids and guys. The steroids introduce more testosterone into the body. The body eventually stops wasting energy producing its own testosterone because it has an outside source. Then when the guy quits the steroids, his body still isnt producing testosterone which can lead to health problems because his body had become dependant on the testosterone given by the steroids. Just like in the case of your niece where her body depended on the metabolism given by the breast milk so it didnt fully develop its own metabolism which can lead to obesity. hope this helped

Answer 7

probably not, a mother milk is the best out there! I personally think breastfeeding until she is 4 is too long. But it differs with each family. You said she did not gain the weight until she was off. So that to me means she gained the weight from the food she is eating now. Or maybe it is an imbalance in her body?

Answer 8

WOW! I think 4 is a little to big to be breastfed..but anyways I had heard of that but to be honest I think its all a myth. It may have been because of all the other things she was fed and to be honest she may have a medical problem that is causing her to gain so much weight. She may want to get some medical attention.

Answer 9

breastfeeding DOES NOT cause obesity! if it did wouldn't you think that nearly everyone would be obese? cos people have breast fed since the beginning of time!

what is the kids diet and exercise like?

they are probs the main thing contributing to her obesity!

xx