key assessment

Clinical digest

NEW EVIDENCE ADDS TO THE BREAST VERSUS BOTTLE-FEEDING DEBATE UK research compares temperaments of babies fed by different methods

New mothers should be informed that it is normal for breastfed babies to cry more and appear less content than bottle-fed babies.

The Medical Research Council asked mothers to assess the temperaments of their babies at three months using a behaviour questionnaire. Of the 316 babies, 137 were exclusively breastfed, 88 were fed with formula milk and 91 were fed with a combination.

Overall, breast and mixed-fed babies were rated by their mothers as having more challenging temperaments. Compared to formula-fed babies, breastfed babies showed greater distress, and were less likely to smile, laugh or vocalise. They were also slower to calm down following distress or excitement.

Lead researcher Ken Ong, a paediatrician from the Medical Research Council epidemiology unit in Cambridge, says: ‘Bottle-fed babies may appear more content, but research suggests that they could gain weight too quickly.

‘Rather than being put off breastfeeding, parents should have more realistic expectations

of normal infant behaviour and should

receive better support to cope with difficult infant behaviours if needed.’ The Department of

Health recommends breastfeeding for the

first six months, but most UK mothers switch to

bottle-feeding within four months. de Lauzon-Guillain B et al (2012)

Breastfeeding and infant temperament at age three months.

PLoS One. doi: 10.1371/journal. pone.0029326.

says more large studies are needed to establish whether red meat is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

She adds: ‘Stopping smoking is the best way to reduce your chances of developing many types of cancer – and other diseases too.’ Larsson SC et al (2012) Red and processed meat consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer: meta-analysis of prospective studies. British Journal of Cancer. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2011.585.

Bariatric surgery could have more pronounced ‘benefits’ than standard lifestyle changes

Weight-loss surgery reduces the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events, according to research conducted as part of the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study.

SOS is an ongoing study of 2,010 participants who underwent bariatric surgery and a control group of 2,037 individuals who received usual (non-surgical) care for their obesity. Patients were aged 37 to 60, with a body mass index of at least 34 in men and at least 38 in women.

They were recruited between 1987 and 2001 and there was a mean follow-up of 14.7 years. Surgery patients underwent vertical banded gastroplasty (68.1 per cent), gastric bypass (13.2 per cent) and banding (18.7 per cent).

At two years follow-up, the mean change in body weight in surgery patients was a decrease of 23 per cent; at ten years the decrease was 16 per cent, at 20 years it was 18 per cent. In the control group, there was no change in body weight at two years follow-up and only a 1 per cent decrease at 15 and 20 years.

Swedish research establishes link between eating processed meat and pancreatic cancer

Eating processed meat increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, suggests a study that also found red meat increases the risk of the cancer in men.

Researchers at the Karolinksa Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, conducted a meta-analysis of 11 studies involving 6,643 pancreatic cancer cases. They found that for each 50 grams of processed meat eaten each day – equivalent to one sausage or two rashers of bacon – there was a 19 per cent rise in the risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate no meat. Consuming 150g of processed meat per day increased the risk by 58 per cent.

The evidence for red meat was inconclusive, with an increase in risk for men, but not for women. Men who ate 120g per day of red meat had a 29 per cent increased risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate no meat.

Study author Susanna Larsson says that pancreatic cancer’s poor survival rate means it is important to understand the factors that increase the risk of the disease. ‘If diet affects pancreatic cancer then this could influence public health campaigns to help reduce the number of cases of this disease developing in the first place.’

Cancer Research UK information director Sara Hiom

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