 |
|
L-R: Mr. Kachi Onobogu, Executive Director, Commercial,
Promasidor Nigeria Limited; Mr. Olivier Thiry, Managing Director, Promasidor;
Professor (Mrs) Ngozi Nnam, Keynote Speaker; and Festus Tettey, Head of
Marketing, Promasidor; at the one-day workshop on Breastfeeding workshop
organised by Promasidor at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on TuesdayL-R:
Mr. Kachi Onobogu, Executive Director, Commercial, Promasidor Nigeria Limited;
Mr. Olivier Thiry, Managing Director, Promasidor; Professor (Mrs) Ngozi Nnam,
Keynote Speaker; and Festus Tettey, Head of Marketing, Promasidor; at the
one-day workshop on Breastfeeding workshop organised by Promasidor at Civic
Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Tuesday
|
Nutritionists on Tuesday said exclusive breastfeeding of
babies for the first six months of life is the best and could help to
considerably reduce infant mortality.
The nutritionists, led by Professor (Mrs) Ngozi Nnam, the President
of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) stated this on Tuesday at a one-day
Breastfeeding symposium organised by Promasidor Nigeria Limited during which
the company also introduced two infant milk formulas – Cowbell Tina 1 and
Cowbell Tina 2
The theme of the event was “The Nutrition Wisdom of Infant
Feeding Choices” and it was held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to the Nutritionists, breastfeeding has an
extraordinary range of benefits for the child and even for their mothers. They
also stated that in circumstances when it becomes impossible for mothers to
breastfeed their babies, they could use substitutes which must be readily
available and affordable.
Speaking on: “The Nutrition Wisdom of Infant Feeding
Choices”, Professor Nnam said Breastfeeding alone (exclusive breastfeeding) is
a complete nutritional source for infants for the first six months of life
because breast milk contains all the essential nutrients, bio-active compounds
and anti-infective factors needed by the infant for the first six months of
life.
She warned that insufficiency of nutrients in babies could
have significant effect on the brain of babies; which is rapidly developing
during infancy. Her words: “Inadequate supply of the nutrients like iron, iodine,
magnesium, Vitamin B12, folate, fat (LC- PUFA) leads to insults in the brain to
reduce IQ by 13.5 points. The effect is permanent.”
In his welcome address, Mr. Olivier Thiry, Managing
Director, Promasidor said the company produces premium nutritional products
that are good for all categories of people. According to him, the products
produced by Promasidor contain Vitamins A, Iron and other vital nutrients human
bodies need for healthy living.
His words: “We produce different products and they all have
appropriate quantity and quality of nutrients required by different classes of
people.”
Professor Nnam therefore said Nutrition wisdom is important
to ensure adequate supply of nutrients to support rapid growth and development
of the infant; prevent malnutrition that could lead to stunting, wasting,
underweight and micronutrient deficiency diseases; as well as to protect the
infant from developing chronic diseases in adulthood like diabetes,
cardiovascular disease and obesity.
According to her, the nutrients contained in breast milk are
adequate in quantity and quality to promote optimal growth and development of
infants. She explained that composition of breast milk has been designed by
nature to provide all the nutrient needs of the infant, make for easy digestion
and assimilation by infants.
She stated that breast milk is uniquely suited for infants
both in nutritional composition and in the non-nutritive bioactive factors that
promote survival and health. “Human milk contains water, fat, proteins, carbohydrates,
minerals, vitamins, some hormones, enzymes, growth factors, essential fatty
acids and immunological factors that play vital roles for adequate development
and growth of the infant”; she said.
Dr. Abieyuwa Emokpae, a Consultant Paediatrician and Medical
Doctor at Massey Street Children’s Hospital corroborated Professor Nnam as he
said human milk contains hundreds to thousands of distinct bioactive molecules
that protect against infection and inflammation and contribute to immune
maturation, organ development and healthy microbial colonization.
Some of the molecules he listed include colostrums, fat, and
protein. His words: “Human milk contains a wide variety of proteins that
contribute to its unique qualities ranging from growth to antimicrobial
effects. It provides adequate amounts of AA to growing infants.”
Similarly, Dr, Ola-Aroyewun Bisoye, a Matron said studies
have shown that breasted infants do better on intelligence and behaviour tests
into adulthood than formula-fed babies. She advised that continued
breastfeeding until the age of two years or more brings the reproductive cycle
full cycle because breastfeeding is the primary means of delaying pregnancy and
spacing births.
Her words: “As long as a mother breastfeeds fully or nearly
and as long as her periods have not returned, her protection against pregnancy
during the first six months is ensured. This family planning method is called
the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).”
Meanwhile, Professor Nnam said apart from breastfeeding,
mothers could also employ complementary feeding. This, she said, is giving
other foods to the infant to complement breast milk. She said: “The child
continues to receive breast milk as well as complementary foods, before
eventually changing to the family food alone”.
According to her, if there are circumstances when complete
breastfeeding is difficult, nursing mothers could deploy infant formula like
Tina 1, produced by Promasidor when a baby is still between 0 and 6 months and
Tina 2 when a child is between the first 6 months and 2 years.
0 comments:
Post a Comment