You know how we sometimes hear things about bf but can't substantiate
them with facts? Well, I a long time ago I heard that babies shouldn't
be fed cereals as a first food because they don't produce the enzyme
that digests starches (amylase) until around the end of the first year
of life. I just saw a reference for some research into this subject on
a newsgroup, but I have no way of checking it. Can anybody out there in Lactnetland help me?

The reference apparently appeared in a book called "Childhood Nutrition",
edited by Fima Lifshitz, pub. by CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1995. The
relevant chapter is called "Infant Nutrition: the first two years", by Arturo R.Hervada and Maria Hervada-Page, on pages 43-52.

        "Finally, the ability to produce "pancreatic amylase"....is not         fully developed until 9 months of age....The same can be said           regarding the development of gastric pepsin."

The reference given is:
Lebenthal, E. Impact of digestion and absorption in the weaning period in infant feeding practices. Pediatrics, p.207 (Supplement) 1985


TIA

Norma Ritter, IBCLC
"If not now, when? If not us, who?"
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