The Effects of Infant Feeding Practices on Infant and Maternal Health in a Medieval Community
2010; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 3; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1179/cip.2010.3.1.63
ISSN2040-8528
Autores Tópico(s)Child Nutrition and Water Access
ResumoAbstractBreastfeeding practices exert profound effects on infant and maternal health. This paper explores this for a Medieval English population using a synthesis of skeletal data from the archaeological site at Wharram Percy, England. Duration of breastfeeding was assessed using δ15N levels in infant bones. Infant health was evaluated using bone growth. The aspect of female health investigated was bone mineral density (BMD). Results indicate that duration of weaning was normally about eighteen months. Prior to about eighteen months of age infant skeletal growth matched that of a recent reference population. After this it began to fall behind. Women in the 30–49 year age group showed depressed BMD compared with younger women, suggesting significant pre-menopausal loss of BMD. The growth data suggest that the beneficial effects of breast milk permitted rapid growth of infants, but once breastfeeding ceased, growth faltered. In modern populations, maternal BMD normally diminishes during lactation, but subsequently recovers. At Wharram Percy, the depressed BMD in the women's later reproductive years suggest that lactational losses may not have been recovered. Extended lactation under conditions of poor nutrition and a physically demanding lifestyle may have played a part in this. In addition to pre-menopausal BMD loss, the Wharram Percy women showed normal post-menopausal loss. The combined effect was skeletal fragility in old age, and consequent osteoporotic fractures.Keywords: WHARRAM PERCYBREASTFEEDINGNITROGEN STABLE ISOTOPESGROWTHOSTEOPOROSISDUAL X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY
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