Dr. Jacqueline Wolf
Human breast milk is the ONLY thing in nature to be food for humans. But somewhere along the way social constructs, convenience, productivity and expense gave way to replacing human breast milk with formula. What impact has that had on our evolutionary journey?
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SHR # 2422 :: A Brief History of Breastfeeding and the Quest for Social Justice
Show Notes:
[5:13] Babies that are formula fed suffer many disease states than breast-fed children later in life.
[8:35] The fact that humans made their own baby food allowed them to be mobile and migrate.
[9:20] There is no archival evidence of women breastfeeding in public in the 19th century.
- It was not discussed, so it may have not even been an issue.
- Breast feeding reached its lowest point in the 1970’s.
[12:45] The use of cow’s milk early on?
- This milk was left open to the air and unrefrigerated.
- People would throw white chalk powder in it in order to keep it white.
- Plaster was also added to skim milk in order to make people believe that the milk contained cream.
- There was also a communal dipper system to distribute the milk.
[25:40] Percieved breast milk deficiency.
- America is one of only 3 countries that does not have paid maternity leave.
- Breast-fed children can go on to become a contributor to society vs. a burden.
[34:12] Mother’s skin contribution to microbiome.
- The microbiome could just be a mirror of what’s going on in the diet and environment.
[39:02] Babies are born with very immature immune systems.
- Women’s plasma is included in their breast milk.
- I.q. is higher in breast-fed babies. This could be because of more contact and coddling, however, the first studies done on this involved premature subjects whom were all fed by naso-gastric tube. This suggests that it is the breast milk itself raising i.q.
- Omega 3’s and taurine are both found in breast milk.
- Human breast milk is built primarily on the trait of intelligence optimization because intelligence is our primary selection pressure.
[50:00] What to say to women on the fence about breast feeding?
- What are breasts for?
- Humans have over-sexualized breasts to the extent that having them out in public is seen as taboo.
- It is not a natural act. It is a learned behavior.
Show Transcript SHR # 2422 :: A Brief History of Breastfeeding and the Quest for Social Justice
