Breastfeeding evolution in Britain - WHO changes guidelines...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2147863,00.html
Mothers got wrong advice for 40 yearsSarah-Kate Templeton, Medical
Correspondent
BREAST-FEEDING mothers have been given potentially harmful advice on infant
nutrition for the past 40 years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has
admitted.
Charts used in Britain
for decades to advise mothers on a baby's optimum size have been based on the
growth rates of infants fed on formula milk.
The organisation now says the advice given to millions of breast-feeding
mothers was distorted because babies fed on formula milk put on weight far
faster.
These breast-feeding mothers were wrongly told that their babies were
underweight and were advised, or felt pressured, to fatten them up by giving
them formula milk or extra solids.
Health experts believe the growth charts may have contributed to childhood
obesity and associated problems such as diabetes and heart disease in later
life. A government study has found that more than a quarter of children in English
secondary schools are clinically obese, almost double the proportion a decade
ago.
This week, the WHO will publish new growth standards based on a study of more
than 8,000 breast-fed babies from six countries around the world. They will say
the optimum size is that of a breast-fed baby.
The move will put pressure on British doctors to replace charts which, for the
last four decades, have taken into account the growth patterns of bottle-fed
babies.
Professor Tim Cole, of the Institute
of Child Health at
University College London, said: "We should change to a growth chart based
on breast-fed babies. During their first year they do not put on as much weight
as those fed on formula milk. Breast-fed babies are less likely to be fat later
in life and to develop complications such as diabetes and heart disease."
Six years ago, Cole developed an alternative chart based on breast-fed babies
but it has never been endorsed by the British medical establishment. The Child
Growth Foundation, a UK
charity, campaigns for the adoption of Cole's chart.
The foundation claims breast-fed babies are, on average, at 22lb at 12 months,
about 1lb lighter than those fed solely on formula milk. It is thought that
breast-fed babies grow more slowly in the first year because they control the
rate at which they feed, rather than being tied to their parents' notion of
meal times.
Mercedes de Onis, who co-ordinates WHO child growth standards, said:
"Breast-fed babies appear to self-regulate their energy intake to lower
levels. Breast-fed babies have different metabolic rates and different sleeping
patterns. Formula-fed babies seem to have higher intakes of energy and, as a
result, are heavier."
The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that
being overweight as a baby is a key early risk factor for heart disease and
diabetes.
The babies who were the models for the new WHO standards were selected for good
health. They were all breast-fed, their mothers did not smoke and they received
good health care.
The WHO says babies should be fed solely on breast milk for up to six months.
In Britain,
fewer than 10% of babies are getting only breast milk by this age.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is to meet this summer to
discuss the new WHO standards.
The Department of Health said: "Once WHO publishes the new growth charts
we will assess the need for revisions to the UK growth charts."
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