New growth charts based on breastfed babies to be implemented

[BellaBear]

I often read but never post on bf/ff but I thought the following was interesting (I'm aiming for impartiality, please don't interpret this as partial, I'm just passing on information I find very interesting. In light of recent threads, I am categorically NOT SAYING FF IS EVIL, just for the record.)

My sister who is studying medicine photocopied a clinical review of breastfeeding for me, the following is an excerpt:

"...[WHO has developed] new charts using data collected from six centres worldwide over 15 years. These are intended to be standards of optimum growth, rather than average growth. All data were from children born to non-smoking mothers in non-deprived circumstances who had been breastfed for a year, exclusively for four months, with complementary solids started by six months of age. The resulting data show an extraordinary similarity of linear growth between populations and confrim that breastfed infants show a lower weight trajectory from 6 months onwards.

The Dept of Health has recently recommended that the WHO charts be adopted for all children from 2 weeks to 2 years, with a planned launch by early 2009. This allows the UK to keep its valuable birth weight for gestation charts. The new charts will establish breastfed infants as the biological norm - with whom all children should be compared - and they will be applicable to all ethnic groups. After these charts are adopted fewer infants will be defined as underweight or weight faltering, whereas the proportion who are overweight will increase. A supporting educational programme will therefore be essential."

WHat do you think? Very interesting!

[BellaBear]

Forgot to add, it's from the British Medical Journal

[BellaBear]

No one?

[BouncingTurtle]

There's been some discussion already, I know my HV mentioned they were introducing these charts soon.
You can already access these growth charts from the WHO's website.

They are here

[tiktok]

Lots about this in the mumsnet archives, Bella...charts are being piloted at the moment, to see what training needs emerge.

[BellaBear]

sorry! You would have thought I spend enough time on here to have noticed!

[sabire]

And you can be the implementation of these charts will be followed by these headlines in the newspapers:

"Explosion in levels of infant obesity!"

Because of course the numbers of 6 months + babies classified as overweight or obese will rocket overnight.......

[kiskideesameanoldmother]

""Explosion in levels of infant obesity!"

sabire, you missed out...

"because of the new charts".

well at least that is how some people will interpret it, including a few journos, I suspect.