Breast-feed babies first 6 months, study suggests

January 19, 2010 The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that babies be breast-fed exclusively for the first six months of life.

But many parents start their children on solid food sooner.

Now, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that the risk of becoming overweight at age 42 is reduced by 5 to 10 percent for each month the introduction of solid food was delayed.

Some studies suggest that breast-feeding protects against obesity, but more scientific evidence is still needed.