When we go our own way, we assume many risks. We may look at breastfeeding as merely a lifestyle choice. However, formula feeding is associated with many health hazards. Kathleen Huggins and Linda Ziedrich warn about some of the dangers of formula feeding in their book, The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning. Human milk contains antibodies that are transferred to the nursing baby.
Breast milk immunizes a baby from many diseases.
Formula does not have this benefit and formula fed babies, as a group, suffer from more infections than breastfed infants. Breast milk is believed to aid in brain development. A number of studies suggest that formula fed babies have lower intellectual ability. Formula fed babies are more likely to suffer from juvenile diabetes, allergies, childhood cancers, diarrhea, respiratory illnesses and urinary tract infections. In the United States, a formula fed baby is ten times more likely than a breastfed baby to contract a serious infection requiring hospitalization.