Premature babies who nurse on mother's milk have lower blood pressure as teenagers than those who drink formula milk, a new study suggests. The research, led by Dr. Alan Lucas of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, looked at the effects of breast milk and infant formula on blood pressure in 216 teenagers who had been born prematurely at British clinics. At ages 13 to 16, arterial blood pressure readings for the children fed pre-term formula averaged roughly 86 millimeters of mercury, compared with about 82 millimeters in the breast-milk group. For diastolic pressure, the average was 65 millimeters vs. 62 millimeters. The two formula groups showed virtually no differences in any blood pressure measures. "Our data provide experimental evidence of programming of a cardiovascular risk factor by early diet and further support the long-term beneficial effects of breast milk," the researchers stated. Full findings can be found in the February 10 issue of The Lancet.
