14 DAY TRIAL // In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) made a global recommendation that babies should be breast fed exclusively, during their first six months of life, but the debate over the matter just got bigger, as a new research appearing on bmj.com, says otherwise.
Child health experts led by Dr Mary Fewtrell, a consultant pediatrician at the UCL Institute of Child Health in London, reviewed all the evidence behind the current guideline, and concluded that it was time for a re-evaluation.
At first, many western countries did not follow the WHO recommendation, but in 2003, the UK health minister announced that the country would act in accordance.
Fewtrell and colleagues agree with the six-month-exclusive feeding in developing countries, in which the access to clean water and appropriate and safe weaning foods is limited, and the infants risk illness and death.
Still, they do have a problem with the WHO's guidance about the right time to introduce other foods, when it comes to the UK.
They say that even if they agree with exclusive breast feeding early in life, they are worried that exclusively doing so for six months and not introducing other foods may not be in the child’s best interests.
They add that the current recommendations are based on a systematic review undertaken in 2000 that considered existing research in this area, which is no longer valid.
Dr Fewtrell believes that breast milk alone providing sufficient nutrition for six months is a rather questionable statement.
She argues that there is actually a risk of iron deficiency anemia in exclusively breast fed babies, and that it could also be a higher incidence of celiac disease and food allergies, if certain solid foods are not introduced before six months.
Also, a long period of exclusive breast feeding could reduce the window for introducing new tastes, especially bitter ones, which will later be very important for the acceptance of green leafy vegetables, and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, preventing obesity.
The conclusion to which Fewtrell and colleagues got is that it is time to review the UK’s guidance and analyze the evidence gathered over the past ten years.