Forwarded from Anna Hayward:

From: Anna <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 23:39:45 +0100
Subject: Parent-l: Ferrous Gluconate in baby food

Hi,
I am no longer on LACTNET, so if anyone could forward this, I'd be
grateful.

I recently complained to the only pro-bfing babyfood company in Britain
(Baby Organix) about their sudden addition of ferrous gluconate to some
of their babyfood range (labelled "From 4 months"). I told them that I
had read that iron supplements can interfere with iron absorbtion from
breastmilk and they were very concerned because apparently, the British
government has leaned on them to add it to all baby food. They mainly
market vegetarian food, and they told me that a survey showed over 40%
of British vegetarian babies were anaemic and the government dieticians
wanted them to try and do something about this. I suspect the high
degree of anaemia in British babies is to do with the pathetic
breastfeeding rates, and the damaging effects of formula (did you know
that 95% of formula-fed babies have fissures in their gut which can
actually *bleed*? That's why iron is such a big issue for artificially
fed babies).

I know that acidic foods, like pureed pears, can interfere with iron
absorbtion from breastmilk so basically, once you start weaning (solids)
you are depleting your child's iron supplies and they need to start
getting it from other sources. This is more of a problem for babies
weaned onto solids between 4-6 months or earlier (like the majority of
British babies), than it is for later babies.

I believe that mineral forms of iron can hasten this process, so
effectively, you are decreasing the babies ability to absorb BM iron
even further. In short, I have heard that mineral iron can *cause*
anaemia rather than prevent it, and may have other negative effects.
Baby Organix are concerned that this may be true and I have offered to
find out if I can find references to show this.

If you have references to show that the addition to iron to early
weaning foods might be a bad idea for breastfed babies, please email me,
so I can fax Baby Organix with my findings. I feel we should encourage
them as being pro-bfing and a baby food company is a pretty rare
combination. They have said they are happy to put info in their
information leaflets and they also run a free baby nutrition helpline
which could use the information. TIA.
- --
Anna (mummy to Emma, born 17th Jan 1995 and Alice, born 11th Sept 1996)
Email: [log in to unmask]  Web Page:
http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna