Should you breastfeed or bottle feed your baby? The American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Nutrition said both are acceptable during the infant's first year.

This fact was echoed by Dr. Susan Baker of the Boston Children's Hospital, the world's largest pediatric research center, who said that properly prepared infant formulas can replace breast milk in those who cannot breastfeed their babies.

Still, breast milk substitutes are inferior to human milk in terms of nutrition and the protection they offer. Breast milk alone is the best possible food and drink for an infant in the first six months of life, according to Facts for Life published by the United Nations Children's Fund.

"Breast milk helps to protect the baby against diarrhea, cough and colds, and other common illnesses. The protection is greatest when breast milk alone is given to the baby during the first six months," said Facts for Life.

The superiority of human milk over infant formulas was also emphasized by Dr. Myron Winick, director of the Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

"The perfect food for a newborn baby is breast milk. No formula, no matter how 'humanized' it has been made, can take the place of human milk. It is designed to support the growth of the infant, to be easily digested and absorbed by the infant's immature gastrointestinal tract, and to supply substances that protect the infant against infection in the period before the child's own immune system develops," Winick explained in The Columbia Encyclopedia of Nutrition.

How does breast milk differ from infant formulas? Human milk is composed of different substances at various stages of lactation that milk formulas can never duplicate. For instance, during the first five days after delivery, the breasts secrete a thick, yellow fluid called colostrum.

Colostrum is rich in minerals, protein and fat-soluble vitamins. This yellowish secretion prepares the child's intestines for mother's milk and has a high content of antibodies that protect the baby from infection.

"Breastfeeding imparts benefits to the infant beyond supplying optimal nutrition. Breast-fed infants tend to be less susceptible to disease, especially respiratory diseases and gastrointestinal infections. This is partly because of immune substances in colostrum and breast milk and partly because breast milk contains a substance or substances which discourage the growth of E. coli, a bacterium responsible for much of the gastroenteritis found in young infants," Winick added.

"The incidence of common respiratory and intestinal-tract infections in babies is reduced significantly by breastfeeding. Antibodies against numerous disease-causing microorganisms, including such viruses as polio, mumps, measles, chicken pox and influenza and such bacteria as those causing tetanus, strep, staph, pneumonia, meningitis and intestinal infections, have been found in human milk. One study found that the risk of severe intestinal illness for babies on formula was six times greater than for those on breast milk," said Sandy Jones and Werner Freitag in Consumer Reports' Guide to Baby Products.

What are the other benefits of breastfeeding? Find out in the second part of this series. To strengthen your body, take Immunitril - your first line of defense in maintaining a healthy immune system. For details, visit http://www.bodestore.com/immunitril.html.