Some recent research suggests we should wean at 4 - 6 months to reduce risk of coeliac or diabetes.

[ThomasTankEngine]

See here

Nestle research?

but note this " Nestle Nutr Workshop Ser Pediatr Program." at the top.
hmmmmm

(am trying really hard to ignore who sponsored that session)

Yes I noticed that too.

Am I being naive, but how would this it benefit them? Weaning is onto food, not from BM to Formula.

NB that would be Nestle sponsoring the knees-up where this work was presented but not the actual research itself.
The fact that they recommend bf for its protective effects rather belies Nestles involvement anyway...

But tis only one man, one presentation in one workshop.
This is a better study.

We still don't drink nescafe coffee here at the .engine shed

But doesn't that still say its less (coeliac)risk to intro food at 4 - 6 months?

OMG!

My mum regularly tells everyone she gave me and my brother rusks against hv advice at 6 weeks and we were ok

We are both diabetic

But do you have a family history canmummy?

Ah F*ck, it's only one study. When they get 15 more studies like it, all with the same conclusions and all done to a high standard, I will begin to believe. Wait for the meta-analysis.

Also, they say "in predisposed individuals" which suggests the study was done specifically on people with a history of diabetes or coeliac disease in the family. Coeliac especially dosn't affect many people, so am surprised they also described it as a "large immunological investigation" maybe it was "large" in that it was wide-ranging, didn't actually involve more than a few hundred babies (if that) for coeliac disease.

Sort of - my mum is an only child of an only child so our only relatives are fairly distant but yes there's diabetes there.

Nestle do sell baby food
Just not in the UK

A pre-disposition towards diabetes is hereditary. You cannot make that link.

If you read the article properly, it is not suggesting that anyone gives up breast-feeding. I don't see what the problem is, personally. It's a just another piece of advice in an ocean of advice. People will take from it what they want and leave, or totally deny, the rest.

Not sure what Desiderata meant by "cannot make that link", but interesting factoid: Something like 40% of people with Type I diabetes have no family history of the disease... (IIRC)

article suggests that there is less risk introducing gluten if you are breastfeeding - so is an argument for breastfeeding longer. However its an observational study not a randomised trial. That means it could include people who weaned late because they have a family history of coeliac disease. Only real conclusion I'd draw from it is that you don't introduce gluten early.

canmummy's strong implication that she is diabetic because she was given farley's rusks at six weeks.

Not something I would have done, lljkk, but I don't think you can blame diabetes on it.

What you will tend to find with childhood Type 1 Diabetes is that there is a family link in the majority of cases. You just may have to go back a few generations, possibly to a time when it was not diagnosed or medically recorded.

Well, the 6 month mark is still looking pretty good as far as i can see.

And the recommendation to b/feed for a further 2-3 months after starting weaning is also a bonus since the no. of b/fed infants drops dramatically past the 4 mth mark (i'd like folk to b/feed for the full 2+ years personally, but hey ho )

All research very welcome, IMO.

Nestle sell baby food over here (Germany), under another brand name.

I thought the principle was that waiting until 6 months will not cause harm, but weaning before 6 months might (i.e. not will, but might)?

I think its a case of at 6 mths the gut will be most likely mature by then.

4-6 months is not guaranteed. That's not to say that folk, particularly those who are blw shouldnt start when their lo can pick up food and put it in their mouths, whether they be 20 weeks or 26 weeks.

Ok the information seems to be:

WHO says just milk for the first 6 months.

This research says no food pre 3 months and post 7 months may cause problems.

Therefore we should introduce all food at 6 - 7 months.

canmummy, I strongly suspect your diabetes is family history related. Don't be too hard on your mum!

But there can be a culture of well, I gave my baby food at 10 weeks (the earliest one of my friends did) as almost a status thing.

I agree with Thomas apart from i would draw the conclusion that there seems to be a window of opportunity for introducing cereal based foods from 4-6 months, but to do so gradually in small amounts with continued bf....seems like reasonable middle ground advice anyway.

The link after 7 months is also worrying as i have seen a few threads on here where a small no. of posters seem to take pride in how late they can leave it to wean...the same kind of status-y thing that Thomas talks about with early weaning, both of which worrying.

I weaned my ds's at 4 months as that was what was recommended then, but I agree with thehairybabysmum about introducing runny solids if required with lots of b/fing at 4 and then lumpier foods around 6 months, which is what I was told then anyway..., but not unneccesarily, some babies do not need any thing other than milk before then anyway.

I'm rambling, sorry.

That sounds like a good way forward hairybabysmum.