Breastfeeding for six months 'can HALVE the risk of children becoming obese' Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months reduced risk of obesity UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe Breastfeeding can halve the risk of children being obese by the age of eight, a study says. The risk of children being overweight is also cut by around 15 per cent in those breastfed for six months, compared with those fed formula milk. Only a small number of women in the UK breastfeed for long periods, with less than two per cent of babies being breastfed exclusively for six months. Benefits: The risk of children being overweight is cut by around 15 per cent in those breastfed A new study from Japan says breastfeeding should be encouraged 'even in developed countries' because of the long-term impact on weight gain among children. Previous research shows breast milk protects babies against stomach bugs, chest infections, asthma, and allergies, and confers health advantages in later life, with some studies suggesting a small cut in the risk of obesity. But only a small number of women in the UK breastfeed their babies for long periods and the number of new mums starting in 2011 fell slightly to 73.9 per cent. Less than two per cent of babies are breastfed exclusively for six months. Researchers carried out a study involving 43,000 Japanese children where they had information about their feeding during infancy around 2001. They measured for underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity at 7 and 8 years of age defined by using international cut-off points of body mass index by sex and age. Around 20 per cent of children in the study were exclusively breastfed for six months. The study found exclusive breastfeeding for the first six or seven months of life compared with formula feeding led to a reduced risk of overweight and obesity among school children. Encouragement: Researchers say women should breastfeed for longer, even though it is less fashionable than it once was At the age of seven, breastfed children were 15 per cent less likely to be overweight and 45 per cent less at risk of obesity. The reduction in risk of becoming overweight was similar at the age of eight, but the chances of being obese were even lower with a cut in risk of 55 per cent. The study took account of factors affecting children such as sex, television viewing time, and computer game playing time and maternal factors including educational attainment, smoking status, and working status. The study led by Michiyo Yamakawa, of the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama City, was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Dr Yamakawa said 'Breastfeeding is associated with decreased risk of overweight and obesity among school children in Japan. Therefore, it would be better to encourage breastfeeding even in developed countries. Breastfeeding is known to be associated with slower weight gain which appears to establish healthier eating patterns - while it is thought infant formula increases the production of fat cells, fuelling weight gain throughout childhood. Latest figures for England show one in 10 children was obese when they started school in 2011. The proportion doubled to almost 20 per cent among children going to senior school at the ages of 10 and 11 in the same year. Later problems: Breastfeeding can ease difficulties with overweight children Overall Clare Byam Cook, former nurse and midwife and independent breast feeding counsellor, said mothers who can breastfeed their babies easily are giving them a great start in life. She said 'But most women who give up find it too difficult to continue. 'They are not unaware of the benefits to the baby, they have been brainwashed into thinking if they don't their baby will miss out and it can be a very worrying time. 'But many find it too difficult to continue and they don't get long-term support.' The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, with almost one in four new mothers never attempting to breastfeed compared with two per cent in Sweden. By four months old, 75 per cent of babies in Britain drink formula rather than breast milk.