Introducing Infants to Solid Foods Later May Reduce Obesity Risk

At one year, babies who were breastfed for longer had lower body mass indexes (BMIs), standard measures used to gauge a person’s body fat, but no association was found between the duration of breastfeeding and BMI in later childhood, adolescence or adulthood. However, the age at which infants were introduced to various types of food did seem to have an effect on BMI in adulthood. “In our study, the risk of overweight at age 42 years was reduced by 5 percent to 10 percent for each month introduction of complementary foods was delayed,” Michaelson explained.

“I think it is best to wait with complementary foods until the infant is about 6 months old, but there is no reason to be too rigid about the age,” he added. “Some infants will need complementary foods before the age of 6 months, but they should not get them before four months of age.” The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months. Beyond that, the AAP encourages breastfeeding until at least 12 months and longer if both the mother and baby are willing.

The study was published online December 24, 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.