Why has the city of Newark, New Jersey partnered up with infant formula manufacturer Nestle to fight obesity in young toddlers? That is exactly the question many concerned citizens are asking mayor Corey Booker, who recently launched a partnership with Nestle entitled “Nestle and Newark Now”.

New Jersey and Infant Formula Giant Nestle Partner Up

Nestle, of course, creates Gerber brand infant formula, which is actually escalating the obesity epidemic. Breast milk is recommended by everyone from alternative experts to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the U.S. Surgeon General in order to prevent obesity and promote overall wellness.

“Breastfeeding plays a key role not only in infancy but also in shaping the future of the child. Exposure to infant formula during this vital period may in fact increase chances of obesity later in childhood. The risk increases as the beneficial effects of breastmilk that prevent obesity are replaced with the detrimental effects of infant formula, “ Dr JP Dadhich, National Coordinator, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India, said in a statement.

So why is a major corporation invested into the infant formula market spearheading a pro-breastfeeding campaign to eradicate childhood obesity? Many concerned medical professionals and citizens alike are saying that Nestle will use the platform to promote their own infant formula.

“Nestle sponsoring an anti-obesity program is like R.J. Reynolds sponsoring an exercise program — absurd and inappropriate,” says  nurse Maria Parlapiano from nearby Camden.

A campaign to stop the initiative, posted on Change.org, now has over 2,000 signatures. An organization based in the United Kingom also took action and contacted Booker about the campaign, highlighting concerns over a serious conflict of interest with regards to Nestle’s involvement.

The group, known as the Baby Milk Action, stated:

“It’s just a complete conflict of interest… This should not be sponsored by a company that has a vested interest in products that increase the risks of obesity for children.

Recently, the Senate has taken up an issue that may actually benefit the general public – this time specifically, it’s regarding the mass medication that is omnipresent in everyone’s water supply, sodium fluoride. The largest state legislature in the US recently passed a bill that requires all water bills to warn parents with infants of the dangers revolving around fluoride and water fluoridation- but only associated with infancy and excluding just about everyone else, to no great surprise.

Fluoride Exposure to Infants is Unhealthy, Water Fluoridation Persists

The warning reads as follows:

“Your public water supply is fluoridated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if your child under the age of 6 months is exclusively consuming infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated water, there may be an increased chance of dental fluorosis. Consult your child’s health care provider for more information.”

The primary cause for this action is because of a heightened risk of dental fluorosis in children –  basically a fluoride overdose. What they don’t tell you is that the ‘medication’ also affects the many other organ compositions in your body, not just your teeth, and not just for infants. Generally the CDC will support water fluoridation but this action warning in particular strikes a chord with the agency, forcing it to admit that fluoridated water mixed with baby formula is dangerous for the teeth which are supposed to be developing.

The CDC’s website suggests that:

“Recent evidence suggests that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing … enamel fluorosis [...] in children younger than 8 years of age, combined fluoride exposure from all sources – water, food, toothpaste, mouth rinse, or other products – contributes to enamel fluorosis.”

This may be a step in the right direction, and thankfully New Hampshire is leading the charge with their recent mandate. Soon enough other states will take the reins into their own hands and change their own water fluoridation rules – at least that is the prevailing idea.

If you didn’t already know, there is a compiled list of facts that everyone should know about the so-called medication that everybody – infants and adults alike – are taking part of:

• Since infants rely primarily on liquid foods and are very small in size, they receive the highest doses of fluoride if bottle-fed. Fluoride exposure could be as much as 175 more for a baby fed formula compared to a breast-fed baby.

• In 1977, it was shown that water fluoridation caused about 10,000 cancer deaths in epidemiological studies by Dr. Dean Burk, former head of the Cytochemistry Section at the National Cancer Institute and Yiamouyiannis

• Fluoride is not required by any bodily process.

• Research conducted by the Cochrane Oral Health Group has yet again shown that fluoride supplements are ineffective at reducing tooth decay in primary teeth.

• Water fluoridation can not replace adequate nutrition or lack of access to dental care, and therefore is not a sound solution in general.

• Water fluoridation is a violation of your individual right to informed consent to medication.
• The chemicals used to fluoridate water supplies are largely hazardous by-products of the fertilizer industry and have never been required to undergo randomized clinical trials for safety or effectiveness by any regulatory agency in the world.
• Vitamin D rises above fluoride as a solution on how to prevent cavities.

• Fluoride for purposes of reducing tooth decay is classified as an “unapproved drug” by the FDA.

• Ingesting fluoride has been found to damage soft tissues (brain, kidneys, and endocrine system), as well as teeth (dental fluorosis) and bones (skeletal fluorosis).

Mothers-to-be know very well that smoking and drinking should be avoided at all costs while pregnant. It is also known that living a healthy lifestyle and eating healthful foods is extremely important during pregnancy, but how significant is diet and lifestyle after the baby is born? The significance of what mothers ingest while breastfeeding may be clearly revealed by breast feeding expert Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who says drinking caffeinated beverages may be the reason babies can’t sleep.

Substances Consumed by Mother Appear in Breast Milk

Mother’s milk contains small amounts of whatever is ingested by the mother. Drinking coffee, tea, soft drinks, or even chocolate increases the level of the stimulant in the blood. When babies drink the milk, they may become restless, awake, or irritable due to difficulties with breaking the chemical down and removing it from their bodies. Although the ‘safe’ amount of caffeine consumed is not necessarily agreed upon, Lawrence recommends no more than 300mg, or 3 cups, daily.

“Usually a mother, particularly if she is breastfeeding, is cautioned to limit her caffeine intake,” she told the Journal of Caffeine Research. “Unfortunately a lot of things about breastfeeding are based on opinion, and I do not know that the ‘safe’ amount of caffeine for daily use has been carefully measured.”

While passing down stimulants like caffeine in breast milk is an issue, unfortunately there are larger threats which should be recognized.

Found to be present in over a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products, research has shown that those consuming processed foods and many beverages are also consuming mercury. Similarly, another heavy metal, arsenic, resides in many apple juice brands, grape juice, and products containing organic brown rice syrup. Breastfeeding mothers consuming these foods and beverages are risking their new-born also ingesting these toxic substances. The negative effects, however, are much greater.

It is important for mother’s to recognize that being health-conscious is important both during pregnancy and following pregnancy. By consuming processed foods, tap water, alcohol, or any other substance, new mothers are also risking these substances coming out in their breast milk.

There is a call for a near-future investigation of illegal synthetics being used in organic food which have been corruptly approved by corporations gaming the system. The United States National Organic Standards Board, a panel that advises the USDA Secretary on all things organic related, was the one to approve Martek Biosciences Coprorations petition allowing for the use of the synthetic chemical – a genetically modified soil fungus and algae – in organic food.

The Cornucopia Institute reports:

“Martek’s formulated oils are processed with synthetic petrochemical solvents in a blend containing a myriad of other synthetic chemicals. Supplements derived from these oils, commonly marketed as DHA and ARA, are being added to milk, infant formula and other organic foods by such companies as Dean Foods (Horizon), Abbott Laboratories (Similac) and Nurture, Inc. (Happy Baby)”

This issue has actually been going on for quite some time, and the United States Department of Agriculture seems to think it will just disappear. In April 2010, after receiving a formal complaint by the Cornucopia Institute and being the subject of an investigative report by the Washington Post, the USDA announced that its decision to allow Marteck’s oils in organic foods was inappropriate. The scandal helped lead to the dismissal of the National Organic Programs previous director, who nullified her staff’s decision finding that the supplements from Martek were illegal in organic foods.

Although the decision made by the previous director was reversed in April of 2010, the Obama/Vilsack administration at the USDA delayed the removal of the unapproved, genetically modified synthetics by 18 months. While the Food and Drug Administration pushed complaints concerning the safety of Martek’s products under the rug, parents and some healthcare providers keep reporting on how infants will continue to experience serious gastrointestinal symptoms and become ill after consumption.

Even though Martek made claims to discontinue the use of the controversial neurotoxic solvent n-hexane for DHA/ARA processing, they didn’t make known the substitutes they would use. But in order for the company to successfully follow organic standard, they will not be able to use any synthetic solvents or petrochemical solvents.

Babies born in the United States have a higher chance of dying than those born in developing nations such as Malaysia and Lithuania. In fact, the newborn death statistics rival Qatar — a middle eastern nation under complete monarchy. In 2009, an estimated 3.3 million babies died during their first four weeks of life, compared with 4.6 million in 1990, the report found.

MSNBC reports:

Newborn deaths could be reduced by as much as a third with simple preventive measures. And measures taken within hospitals, including providing antibiotics and implementing resuscitation techniques, could reduce deaths by two-thirds, the researchers said.

“We know that solutions as simple as keeping newborns warm, clean and properly breast-fed can keep them alive,” said study researcher Joy Lawn of the Save the Children Foundation, which worked with the WHO on the report. “It isn’t that you have to build invasive care units to halve your neonatal mortality.”

Researchers have discovered that the brains of developing babies are sensitive to the quality of care they receive. The scientists observed children whose mothers exhibited symptoms of depression, and found that their amygdala, a part of the brain linked to emotional responses, was enlarged. The research shows how the mental state of the mother can directly affect the child.

ScienceDaily reports:

Similar changes, but of greater magnitude, have been found in the brains of adoptees initially raised in orphanages. Personalized attention to children’s needs may be the key factor. “Other studies have shown that mothers feeling depressed were less sensitive to their children’s needs and were more withdrawn and disengaged,” explained Drs. Sophie Parent and Jean Séguin of the University of Montreal’s, who followed the children over the years.

Scientists have established that the amygdala is involved in assigning emotional significance to information and events, and it contributes to the way we behave in response to potential risks. The need to learn about the safety or danger of new experiences may be greater in early life, when we know little about the world around us. Indeed, studies on other mammals, such as primates, show that the amygdala develops most rapidly shortly after birth. “We do not know if the enlargement that we have observed is the result of long-term exposure to lower quality care. But we show that growing up with a depressed mother is associated with enlarged amygdala.”

Offspring of mothers with a higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) have been found to not only be fatter, but to have more fat deposits in the liver. The researchers from Imperial College London published their findings in September’s issue of the journalPediatric Research.

ScienceDaily reports:

The research team used magnetic resonance scanning to assess 105 babies born at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. The babies were scanned while they were asleep to measure the amount of fat in their liver cells, the total amount of fat in their bodies and its distribution. They found that liver cell fat in the babies and total fat, particularly around the abdomen, increased across the entire range of BMI in their mothers.

Children of overweight and obese mothers are already known to have a higher risk of being overweight and obese themselves, and of experiencing associated metabolic health problems such as type-2 diabetes. The authors of this new study suggest that the changes they found in babies’ bodies might be signs of the first biological changes which, combined with an unhealthy lifestyle, might put babies of overweight mothers on a path to ill health in later life.

Professor Neena Modi, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London and a Consultant Neonatologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, who led the study, said: “This study demonstrates that a woman’s BMI, even in the normal range, affects the amount of fat in her baby at birth. Fatter women have fatter babies and there is more fat in the babies livers. If these effects persist through childhood and beyond, they could put the child at risk of lifelong metabolic health problems.

“There is growing evidence that a baby’s development before birth has a major impact on their health in later life. This means that the prevention of obesity needs to begin in the womb.

As disturbing and outlandish as it may sound, a South Korean SBS TV documentary has accused Chinese pharmaceutical companies to be selling “stamina pills” that contain ground up dead babies. The report claims that certain hospitals and abortion clinics sell baby corpses to the companies, who then use their bodies to grind up for their stamina pill ingredients. The team ran a DNA test on the pill, and found that the pills were 99.7 percent human.

The IB Times reports:

The Korean team acquired the dead baby capsules and ran DNA tests on it. The test results reportedly indicated the pills were 99.7 percent human. The test also found hair and nail remnants, and even the gender of the baby could be identified. The process will be aired with visuals in the SBS TV documentary on Aug. 6, 2011 in South Korea.

SBS further reveals that there has been a business network established between China and South Korea for a while, to fulfill the baby capsule demand in South Korean market.

Besides the dead baby pills, microwave dried placenta is another popular business in China, which hospital staff are allegedly openly involved with.

The United Nations (UN) is launching an initiative to inform mothers and guardians about the benefits of natural breastfeeding. Using social media as the launch platform, the organization is toting the benefits of breast milk to the world. Breastfeeding has been linked to reducing the overall death toll in children under 5, yet only 36% of infants below the age of 6 months in developing countries are exclusively breastfed.

The UN News Centre reports:

Among the benefits of breastfeeding, UNICEF pointed out that the practice could lead to a 13 per cent reduction in deaths of children under five if infants were exclusively breastfed for 6 months and continued to be breastfed up to one year.

“Breastfed is best fed, whether the baby is born in Uganda or England, China or Canada,” said Mr. Lake.

However, while breastfeeding rates in the developing world are on the rise in two-thirds of countries with data, millions of infants are not benefiting from this life-saving practice.

Therefore, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners are using the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week to spur new and creative ways to raise awareness and reach a larger audience with the message of the benefits of breastfeeding.

The theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, which is an initiative of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, is “Talk to Me! Breastfeeding – a 3D Experience.” It emphasizes the importance of communication at various levels and between various sectors to promote breastfeeding.

“Communication is key to attain progress,” said Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General for Family, Women’s and Children’s Health. “This year’s theme for the World Breastfeeding Week highlights the opportunity of new communication technologies for making qualified support accessible to health care providers, mothers and families…

“Protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding is important because, even though breastfeeding is natural, it is also a learned behaviour,” added Dr. Bustreo.

Environmental factors may play a greater role in autism than previously thought, tipping the scale away from a strict focus on genetics, two studies suggest.

In one, a team at Stanford University compared cases of autism in identical and fraternal twins and found that fraternal twins — who share only half of the same genes — have unusually high rates of autism, suggesting that factors other than genetics may be triggering the disease.

In another, researchers at health insurer Kaiser Permanente found mothers of children with autism were twice as likely to have been prescribed a common antidepressant during the year before their pregnancy than mothers of healthy children.

Both studies were released Monday.

And the risk was even greater — a threefold increase — when the drug was taken in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The findings, released in the Archives of General Psychiatry, suggest that something in the birth environment — drugs, chemicals or infections — may be triggering autism in children who are already genetically predisposed to develop the disease.

“It has been well-established that genetic factors contribute to risk for autism,” Clara Lajonchere, a study co-author and vice president of clinical programs for Autism Speaks, said in a statement.

“We now have strong evidence that, on top of genetic heritability, a shared prenatal environment may have a greater than previously realized role in the development of autism.”

Autism is a spectrum of disorders ranging from a profound inability to communicate and mental retardation to relatively mild symptoms such as with Asperger’s syndrome.

It affects one in every 150 children born today in the United States, or about 1 percent of the population.

Shared environment

The Stanford study involved 54 pairs of identical twins, who share 100 percent of the same genes, and 138 pairs of fraternal twins, who share half of the same genes.

In each pair, at least one of the twins had been diagnosed with autism.

The researchers found the chances of both children having autism spectrum disorder was higher among identical twins than among fraternal twins. But fraternal twins were much more likely to develop autism than studies of children in families where a sibling has autism.

According to the study, environmental factors common to twins explain about 55 percent of the cases of autism, and while genetic factors still play a role, it is much lower than seen in other studies of twins and autism.

“Environmental factors play a bigger role than previously thought,” said Dr. Joachim Hallmayer of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, who led the study.

Recent studies have suggested genetics played the biggest role in autism, but his findings suggest something different, he said in a telephone interview.

“We have to study both the genetics and the environment,” Hallmayer said. “If we look only at one side, I don’t think that will lead us to the right answer.”

Could it be antidepressants?

In a separate study in the same journal, a team led by Lisa Croen, director of the Autism Research Program at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, looked to see whether antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, contributed to autism risk.

The team studied nearly 300 children with autism and 1,500 randomly selected children and then checked their mothers’ medical records.