Daily Telegraph  14 August 2007  [Tam Fry]

British parents have been overfeeding their babies for a generation because of inaccurate growth charts.  Charts used by health visitors and GPs are based on bottle fed babies and encourages rapid weight gains which has fuelled the childhood obesity epidemic, experts said today.

The World Health Organisation has revised the charts based on breast fed babies which encourage a slower, healthier growth pattern.  The new charts were issued 18 months ago and today the Department of Health has announced it will trial them.

 

Experts criticised the move and said the charts should have been implemented over a year ago.  Tam Fry said he was 'absolutely gobsmacked' the Government was only trialling the charts.  He told the Daily Telegraph: “The World Health Organisation went through this in a very controlled and pragmatic manner and has trialed these charts in four countries.  “For the British Government to say we ought to do our own pilot is unimaginable. It is delaying the whole thing.  “The announcement is high time in coming, we have been waiting for it for a year and a half. Why it has taken these people so long I have no idea.”

The new charts encourage slower growth based on breast feeding rather than bottle feeding which experts now agree is healthier in the long term.  About 20 per cent of babies will be classed as overweight when the new charts are finally brought in, showing the extent of overfeeding that has been caused by the outdated methods. Children who are overweight as babies are more likely to be obese as later in life.  A quarter of all 11 to 15 year olds are currently overweight and this is expected to continue to rise.  The old charts say a one year old baby should be about 10 kilos while the new charts show that 9.5kilos is actually better.

Mr Fry said: “We have been overfeeding our children in the first year of life for the last 30 years in this country by using the wrong charts. It has been turning off a whole host of mothers who want to breast feed but have been told their baby is not growing fast enough. It has stigmatised them and made them feel incredibly guilty when in fact we should have been encouraging it.”

A report was published by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recommends the use of the WHO Growth Standards.  Dawn Primarolo, Public Health Minister said: “We welcome this report from the Expert Group on Growth Standards. “We are committed to promoting breastfeeding and these new standards will help alleviate mothers’ concerns regarding the difference in growth patterns often observed between breastfed and formula-fed babies.  “Our next step is to consider the practical aspects of implementing them effectively.  “It’s important that we field test the new standards and put in place appropriate training for users.”

Professor Peter Aggett, chairman of the Standing Committee on Nutrition for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said: “The recommendations to adopt the WHO Standards for early life are an important means to support the exclusive breast feeding of babies in the first six months of life and the development of early growth patterns that could reduce the risk of these children becoming overweight and developing life threatening diseases in later life.  “It is crucial that all healthcare professionals are trained so that they are competent in using and interpreting the revised charts.”