The World Health Organization has announced that it will be releasing new international Child Growth Standards for infants. The world's premier health agency admitted that the growth charts for infants had been distorted since the old charts were based on babied fed with formula milk. Such babies gain weight faster than breast fed babies.
In comparison, the breast fed babies appear to show retarded growth. But this is not true since the WHO recommends that babies should ideally be breast-fed. WHO said that these new charts would rectify that error and would be suited for any baby anywhere in the world.
"With these new charts, parents, doctors, policymakers and child advocates will know when the nutrition and healthcare needs of children are not being met," the agency said in a press release. The new charts are also based on research data collected from 8,000 children from six different countries where breast-feeding, good diets and proper infection control measures were available.
According to the currently available charts, the ideal weight for a one-year-old baby is between 22.5lb (10.2kg) and 28.5lb (12.93kg). But the actual weights should be between 21lb (9.53kg) to 26lb (11.79kg). There has been considerable pressure on the WHO to switch over the charts to reflect the ideal weight of breast-fed babies.
“Breast-fed babies appear to self-regulate their energy intake to lower levels. Breast-fed babies have different metabolic rates and different sleeping patterns. Formula-fed babies seem to have higher intakes of energy and, as a result, are heavier," said Mercedes de Onis, a co-coordinator of WHO child growth standards.
The WHO says that babies should be fed solely breast milk for at least six months. The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted that early weight gain indicates significant risk of heart disease and diabetes in future life.
