As your baby transitions from the bottle to solid food, the real adventure begins. Discovering your baby’s culinary preferences can be an ever-changing and sometimes frustrating journey. But before you resign yourself to a diet of strict chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, consider this.
A new study published in the scientific journal Gut suggests that a baby’s diet between 1-3 years of age can have a significant impact on their long-term gut health. Researchers from Sweden examined children’s eating habits at 12-18 months and 30-36 months, then followed up 15-21 years later to determine how early diet quality was related to the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Diet quality was assessed by measuring consumption of meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy, sweets, snacks, and beverages, using a modified version of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) adapted for children. . A higher quality diet, characterized by increased intake of vegetables, fruits, and fish, and reduced consumption of meat, sweets, snacks, and beverages, is reflected in a higher HEI score. The total score was divided into thirds to indicate low, moderate, or high quality diets.
The findings revealed that children with moderate or high quality diets had a reduced risk of developing IBD. Specifically, those with medium- to high-quality diets at age 1 showed an overall 25 percent lower risk of IBD compared to those with low-quality diets at that age.
Among infants with high-quality diets, high fish intake at age 1 was associated with a lower overall risk compared to its opposite and a 54 percent lower risk of ulcerative colitis in particular. More vegetables at 1 year of age was also associated with a reduced risk of IBD. On the other side of the coin, the study showed that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a 42 percent increased risk. At age 3, only high fish intake was associated with reduced risk of IBD and particularly ulcerative colitis.
The scientists point out that the study can’t establish direct cause and effect, but the link between early infant diet and the development of IBD offers a pretty convincing reason to keep trying to push the vegetables and fish in the baby’s diet.
If you’re struggling with a picky eater, check out these tips to encourage baby to explore new foods.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult a qualified physician or health professional regarding your specific circumstances.
