Unfortunately, not all mothers are able to breastfeed their babies, but when it is physically possible, mothers should try to breastfeed for at least 6 months. Experimental evidence suggests that, with few exceptions, human breast milk is the best source of nourishment for human infants. Experts still disagree about how long breastfeeding should continue to gain the most benefit and how much extra risk is involved in using breast milk substitutes. However, breastfeeding does benefit both mother and child physically and psychologically. Nutrients and antibodies are passed to the baby while hormones are released into the mother’s body. The bond between baby and mother can also be strengthened during breastfeeding.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

• Breast milk is highly nutritious.
• The baby has a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
• The baby has a lower risk of many other diseases.
• Suckling encourages the development of teeth and speech.
• Breast milk contains amino acids required for brain and nerve development.
• Breastfeeding helps mothers return to their pre pregnancy weight.
• Breastfeeding mothers have less risk of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer.

Protection from Diseases

A baby which has been breastfed is at lower risk of contracting the following health problems and diseases:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Bacterial meningitis
• Breast cancer
• Celiac disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Diabetes
• Eczema
• Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Multiple sclerosis
• Obesity
• Respiratory infections
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Urinary tract infection

New Scientist writes about the benefits of older mothers breastfeeding:

Women who delay pregnancy past their mid-twenties may reduce their risk of breast cancer later in life by breastfeeding their children, a new study suggests.

Previous research has shown that women who have their first child in their thirties have an increased risk of breast cancer, regardless of how many children they go on to have. But the new study found this link only among older mums who did not breastfeed.

So breastfeeding is especially important for older mothers.

Many reports show that drinking green tea can be very beneficial to our health, which is not surprising considering that green tea has been used as traditional medicine for so many years. In areas such as India, China, Japan and Thailand, green tea has been used to help everything from controlling bleeding and helping heal wounds to regulating body temperature, blood sugar and promoting digestion.

Benefits of Green Tea

The potential benefits of consuming green tea have, for the most part, not been proven by scientific research, however, some research has credited green tea with the following health benefits.

• Preventing cancer.
• Treating multiple sclerosis.
• Stopping diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
• Neutralising the spread of free radicals.
• Reducing the negative effects of LDL (bad) cholesterol.
• Raising metabolism.
• Encourages the formation of scabs if applied directly to a wound.

Negatives of Green Tea

The major concern with drinking too much green tea is the caffeine it contains. Too much caffeine can cause nausea, insomnia or frequent urination.

New Scientist points to recent research has shown consuming very large quantities of green tea can be dangerous as it can cause damage to the liver and kidneys:

Green tea is good for you, but only if drunk in moderation. While the polyphenols in green tea are credited with preventing heart disease and cancer, it seems they can cause liver and kidney damage if consumed in very large quantities, a review of studies into the toxicity of polyphenols has shown.

He stresses that up to 10 small cups of green tea a day is fine. Problems are likely in people who take supplements, which can contain up to 50 times as much polyphenol as a single cup of tea.

In summary, keeping drinking green tea for its numerous benefits but the benefits of taking supplements may outweigh the risks.

It’s time for the April roundup. These are the top 5 articles written last month, based on page views. If you haven’t read them yet, take a look. Don’t forget that comments are welcome and encouraged. If you have something to add to the article or don’t agree with what I wrote then say so in the comments.

1. Japanese Encephalitis

The Japanese encephalitis virus is one of the most common travel related diseases with around 50,000 cases per year. It is spread by infected mosquitos found primarily in South East Asia and the Far East. There is a vaccine available to prevent this potentially fatal disease, so it is advised to see your travel doctor well before travel to high risk countries.

2. Are Fruit Juices Healthy?

We all know that fruit is good for us and we should be eating two or three services of fruit per day. Again, it’s common sense really. Fruit juice contains important vitamins and antioxidants but you’ll lose most if not all of the fibre. Fibre is extremely important and it is recommended that we eat around 30 grams of fibre per day.

3. Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet

For most of us, we just need to add a couple more servings of fresh food daily and we’ll be right but don’t forget the fish, nuts, and olive oil to get the real benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

4. Health Benefits of Coffee

So should you be drinking coffee? Well, as usual, moderation is the key. A couple of cups of coffee per day should be fine for most healthy people.

5. Quit Smoking

According to studies on smokers, if you smoke1 pack of cigarettes a day for 10 years you lose 2 years of your life. If you smoke2 packs in 10 years time you lose 4 years. If you have smoked one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years you lose 4 years off of your life and if you smoke2 packs a day in 20 years you lose 9 years off of your life.