Solid Food Timing for Babies Tied to Diabetes Risk | WPN World People News

Infants who receive their first solid food either early or late -- before the age of 4 months or at 6 months or older -- are at increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes, new research suggests.

Type 1 diabetes is on the rise worldwide, with some of the fastest increases among children younger than 5 years of age. Infants' diets are one major area of research into the origins of the disease.

The study looked at infants in the Denver area who had first-degree relatives with type 1 diabetes. Infants who were given solid food for the first time either earlier or later than other infants were at increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

Early exposure to fruit and late exposure to rice or oats were associated with an increased risk, while breast-feeding when wheat or barley were introduced appeared to be associated with a reduced risk.

Data suggest multiple foods/antigens play a role and that there is a complex relationship between the timing and type of infant food exposures and [type 1 diabetes] risk.

Although the study found an association between the age of introduction of solid foods and development of type 1 diabetes in higher-risk children, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

In summary, there appears to be a safe window in which to introduce solid foods between 4 and 5 months of age; solid foods should be introduced while continuing to breast-feed to minimize [type 1 diabetes] risk in genetically susceptible children. These findings should be replicated in a larger [study] for confirmation.

Source: HealthDay News