Joan Wolf ‘Infant formula has enhanced lives’ Joan Wolf, author of Is Breast Best?, answers your questions on formula, fearmongering and free speech.

Why are policymakers so wedded to promoting breastfeeding when the evidence for its overwhelming superiority isn’t very strong?
Nancy McDermott, US

As far as most policymakers are concerned, the evidence for breastfeeding is very strong. When you think about how many scientists themselves are immune to the limitations of their research, it is hardly surprising that politicians, very few of whom have the skills or time to read the science, don’t know what it actually says. Like most people, policymakers also don’t understand what the short and long-term costs of breastfeeding can be for mothers and their families. Ultimately, it’s hard to argue against healthy and free….

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