The latest reports about the research showing a link between diabetes
mellitus and introduction of cereal before a few months, or after 6 months,
may seem puzzling at first glance.  Why should there be a window,
conveniently placed at the time (4-6 months) which has been a point of
contention between WHO and the infant food industry as the endpoint for
optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding?

I wonder whether there are two different mechanisms for exposure in play
here.

Early introduction, before gut closure, may be risky because of the
possibility for large protein molecules to enter the infant's bloodstream
and provoke an allergic response.  Babies who get other foods before 4
months are known to be at risk for many health problems, and diabetes has
already been suspected to be one of them.

The risk of later introduction could be related to the lack of breastmilk in
many infants' diets by the age of 6 months.  When babies whose guts have
closed and who are still being breastfed or getting breastmilk, get cereal,
they have the protection of breastmilk in digesting them and in protecting
their guts and their immune systems.  By 6 months most babies in the US and
much of Europe are weaned from the breast, and exposure to cereal without
this protection could constitute a different risk, but one that could lead
to the same outcome, increased rates of diabetes.

Until someone has investigated this possibility I am not buying the idea of
a magical window as the *only safe time* for introduction of cereal, to
minimize risk of later diabetes, a window that neatly matches the text on
packaged baby foods about when to start purchasing them.

Just speculating, critically,
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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