Recent research data concerning the risk of coeliac disease confirm that introduction of food containing gluten during breast-feeding not later than 6 months of life is justified. According to ESPGHAN and EFSA introduction of solid foods in the diet of infants between 4-6 months of age is safe.
Aim of study: Evaluation of feeding practices in healthy full-term infants after implementation of the recommendations of coeliac disease prevention.
Material and methods: Conducted analysis concerned 54 healthy full-term infants, living in Warsaw, aged 6 to 12 months. Of these, 27 children were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life and 27 children were non-breastfed. The differences between selected parameters of nutritional status and diets of breastfed and nonbreastfed infants were evaluated by using t-Student test. Relations between quantitative variables were assessed by chi2 test.
Results: Products containing gluten were introduced into the breastfed children's diet in the 5th month of life in 22% of studied subgroup, in the 6th month - in 15%, in the 7th or 8th month - in 30%, between 9th and 11th month - in 22% and 11% of these children have not received food containing gluten in the first year of life. In the group of non-breastfed infants 15% received products with gluten before 5th month of life, 15% in 5th month, 11% at age of 6 months, 22% between 7th and 8th month, 15% in 11th month and 22% of children have not received food containing gluten in the first 12 months of life. An average daily intake of foods with varying content of gluten amounted to 55 g in breastfed infants and 70.5 g in non-breastfed infants (p <0.05).
Conclusions: In the pilot study it was found out that nutritional recommendations concerning prophylaxis of coeliac disease were not implemented correctly by the majority of mothers of studied infants. Products containing gluten were introduced to the infant's diet too early or too late and mostly in larger quantities than it was recommended. Due to the small number of studied children it is important to carry out the investigation on a larger sample. At the same time it is necessary to introduce more effective methods of implementing nutritional recommendations concerning prophylaxis of celiac disease.