Thailand: Doctors say the breast milk is best for infants but business sector pushes unhealthy choices.

Section: General News - Doctors say the breast is best for infants but marketing pushes unhealthy choices, the Bangkok Post reports.

Breastfeeding is vital for child survival as well as brain and growth development.

However, in Thailand, exclusive breastfeeding during a child's first six months is still as low as 5% among the 800,000 newborn babies each year.

A recent report showed that more than 400,000 newborns are given breast milk substitutes. Such high consumption is driven by the highly competitive market and big public relations campaigns.

Milk formula commercials, complimentary samples and gift distribution can be seen in drug stores, hospitals, clinics and department stores.

The amount of formula and breast …