2 weeks Ago By Janet Ogundepo
Janet Ogundepo Nutritionists have kicked against feeding babies high-calorie foods and products that promote rapid weight gain, warning that it exposes them to the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The nutrition experts noted that this could lead to difficulties in walking and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, liver diseases and juvenile cancers, among other health conditions in childhood and adulthood. In exclusive interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, the experts further debunked the popular belief that a chubby and plump baby was healthy.
They asserted that chubbiness was not synonymous with health and emphasised that consistent and gradual growth was ideal for babies. The warning follows a recent viral post on X, formerly Twitter, about a TikTok user selling “organic weight gain pap” for babies. The seller shared two pictures of a four-month-old and a one-year-old, along with a screenshot of comments from their mothers about the “weight-gain pap.
” According to the post, the one-year-old reportedly weighed 47kg, while the four-month-old had noticeably chubby cheeks and a fuller body credited to the “rapid weight gain pap.” However, the experienced nutritionists stated that a four-month-old child should still be exclusively breastfed and should not be given pap or complimentary food. They also expressed concerns about the weight of the one-year-old, noting that a child of that age should not weigh 47kg.
The nutritionists urged parents to avoid products that promised rapid weight gain, stating that such claims often lacked scientific validation and could be harmful. According to the World Health Organisation, obesity is defined by excessive fat deposits that can impair health and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, bone health and certain cancers. It reports that in 2022, 37 million children under the age of five were overweight while over 390 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 years were overweight and 160 million lived with obesity.
The WHO states that children exposed to high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, energy-dense, and micronutrient-poor foods, coupled with lower levels of physical activity, increase childhood obesity. Prof. Beatrice Ogunba Providing insight into the topic, a Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Beatrice Ogunba, asserted that babies from zero to six months should be exclusively breastfed.
She warned that babies above six months who were on complementary feeding should not be overfed and given food that could cause rapid weight gain. The don stated that food products that caused rapid weight gain could cause babies to be overweight and obese. The Maternal & Child Nutrition Consultant explained, “For children zero to six months, the expected weight gain is that between four to six months, they should double their birth weight.
That is to say, if I have a baby at birth, she’s three kg, between four to six months, the ideal thing on the average is for that child to be six kg, which is double the birth weight. By one year, on average, that child should triple the birth weight, that’s nine kg.” The researcher on Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding further emphasised that obese babies were at risk of obesity in adulthood and were at higher risk of having non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, and diabetes.
She stated that babies experiencing rapid weight gain were being fed high-caloric foods or were being forced to eat. Ogunba advised, “When it comes to complementary feeding for children, the frequency of feeding is very specific. For a child that is between six to eight months, you are supposed to feed that child only two meals while breastfeeding.
For a child that is from nine to twenty-three months, at least four meals. “I don’t know the number of feeding given to these children that is making them gain that kind of weight rapidly. But the fact is that they are exposing those children to non-communicable diseases in adulthood.
When they become adults, they become overweight adults, they become obese adults, and non-communicable diseases will follow. “So I would advise mothers to let their children grow normally. Obesity and being overweight is not fashionable.
Don’t expose your child to health risks in adulthood.” The don also told parents to refrain from feeding babies high-calorie foods. Olusola Malomo On his part, a Registered Dietician-Nutritionist, Olusola Malomo, stated that there was an urgent need to educate and redefine to the public what it meant to have a “healthy” baby.
He stated that a shift in focus to “making babies fat,” created a gap in ensuring babies got adequate and balanced nutrition. “What every parent should consider is the adequacy of the food, qualitatively and quantitatively in line with the Recommended Dietary Allowance of the child. “Health and wellness is not about rapid weight gain or chubby cheeks.
The nutritional status is key to ensuring the right nutrients in the right quantities. “There is that popular belief that a chubby and plump baby is healthy, however rapid weight gain in infants is not always a sign of health at all but can even be a marker for metabolic and development disorders,” Malomo said. He emphasised that feeding babies with rapid weight gain products could increase their risk of allergies, digestive problems and discomfort, and nutrient imbalances.
The dietician further noted that such babies could experience respiratory problems, decreased lung function, lower cognitive abilities and decreased academic performance, body image issues and low self-esteem. Malomo also told mothers there was no shortcut to healthy growth and development, stating that adequate diet and regular exercise were crucial for babies’ overall health. Also, a registered dietician and Public Health specialist, Michael Ikujuni, said that feeding babies’ food products that lead to rapid weight gain puts them at risk of insulin resistance, leading to early-onset type 2 diabetes.
He added that such babies were at risk of fatty liver disease, digestive problems and unhealthy weight-for-height ratio, leading to stunting or disproportionate growth. In adulthood, the dietician noted that these babies could have obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart diseases. Ikujuni further warned that many rapid weight gain products “may contain unregulated or harmful additives that could cause allergic reactions or toxicity.
” He noted that the emphasis on making babies “chubby” might overshadow genuine efforts to address undernutrition, wasting, and stunting. Continuing, he said, “Excessive weight might impede the baby’s ability to crawl, walk, or engage in other age-appropriate physical activities. Also, chronic health conditions resulting from early obesity can shorten life expectancy.
Being overweight can lead to social stigma, low self-esteem, and mental health issues in later life.” The public health specialist counselled mothers to seek advice from paediatricians or dieticians for their baby’s nutritional needs. “Be Skeptical of Marketing Claims: Avoid products that promise rapid weight gain; such claims often lack scientific validation and could be harmful.
“Natural Weight Gain is Best: Promote a diet rich in whole, age-appropriate foods as the baby transitions to complementary feeding,” Ikujuni advised. Also, a dietician, Madinah Alabi-Adegboyega, stated that organic food products should not trigger erratic growth spurt in children as seen in the pictures shared by the TikTok seller. She noted that rapid weight growth products could contain steroids, which caused increased appetite, overeating and led to excessive weight gain, fluid retention and moon face shape.
Alabi-Adegboyega noted that such babies were at risk of childhood obesity that could lead to Blounds disease and difficulties in walking, juvenile cancers and several autoimmune conditions. She further clarified that although there were weight gain paps made from common cereals and nuts, they were intended for underweight babies to enhance and optimise their weight. The dietician urged mothers to feed their babies with healthy homemade meals with all the necessary nutrients incorporated.
“If having issues with feeding their babies, let such mothers see a Dietician Nutritionist for guidance and hacks for effective feeding of their babies,” she said. For another nutritionist, Oluwatoyin Adele, “a four-month-old baby has no business taking pap, such a baby should still be feeding on breast milk only. Also, a chubby baby doesn’t necessarily mean a healthy baby.
The aim is to have a healthy baby.” Copyright PUNCH All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: health_wise@punchng. com Tags #Obesity in children Child nutrition feeding babies high-calorie foods to gain weight Nutritionists Optimal nutrition for babies WHO.
