Meridian Chiropractor weekly Health alert:

Starting formula-fed babies on solid food too early may increase their risk of becoming obese by the time they reach age 3, according to a prospective study.

The study, which followed more than 840 young children, found that formula-fed infants introduced to solid food before four months of age had a 6.3-fold increased odds of obesity at age 3 (95% confidence interval 2.3 to 6.9), Susanna Y. Huh, MD, MPH, of Children’s Hospital Boston, and colleagues reported online in Pediatrics.

However, the same didn’t hold for breastfed infants — who showed no impact of timing of solid food introduction on obesity at age 3 (odds ratio 1.1, 95% CI 0.3 to 4.4), Huh and co-authors wrote.

The findings from the longitudinal study support guidelines recommending holding off on solids until at least 4 months of age and preferably to six months of age, the researchers noted.

“Additionally, it further confirms the tremendous long-term Nutritional value of breast feeding during the first six months of life,” commented Cliff Nerwen, MD, of Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York City, in a statement sent to reporters.

Source

Medpagetoday

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