From the BBC News website today

[Guest guest]

Many babies are being overfed in the first few months of life, says

the World Health Organization.

New data show growth charts have over-estimated how much weight

babies should gain - leading to over-use of formula feed.

A second study suggests we need to boost our physical activity

levels.

Both studies were discussed at a meeting organised by the London

School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the International Obesity

Task Force.

Child development growth charts have been largely based on studies of

formula fed children from more than 20 years ago.

These suggested that babies who were exclusively breast-fed were

often not growing properly at about two or three months, as they tend

to put weight on at a slower rate.

As a result their mothers were often advised to supplement their diet

with formula milk, or to scrap breastfeeding completely.

In recent times it has been established that breast milk provides the

best possible combination of nutrients for the growing child.

Proper growth

The latest WHO study, of 8,440 children from six countries, suggests

that the growth charts used by health professionals were wrong.

Their results show that breast-fed babies are leaner and taller than

formula fed infants - but the researchers say this is perfectly

healthy, and is the way babies should develop.

The WHO found that target weights for two and three-year-olds were

15% to 20% too high.

The charts suggest healthy one-year-old weighs between 22.5lb

(10.2kg) and 28.5lb (12.93kg), when in fact the true healthy weight

is 21lb (9.53kg) to 26lb (11.79kg), they say.

The researchers say the current overfeeding of babies could explain

in part why this generation of adults is the fattest ever.

The WHO will release new growth charts based on breast-fed babies at

the end of the year.

Researcher Dr Mecedes de Onis said: " The new standards provide a much

better description of the physiological growth and they establish

that breast fed infants are the biological norm. "

Dr Prakash Shetty, head of nutrition planning at the UN's Food and

Agriculture Organisation, said the new recommendations mean that

daily energy intake for babies should be about 7% less than current

levels.

" If you look at the requirements of these children who are

exclusively breast-fed, their requirements of energy are much lower

that those of formula fed infants. "

Too much food, too little exercise

But babies are not the only ones being overfed.

Dr Shetty said the way calorie intake is measured should be changed.

Instead of just having two different amounts for men and women,

people need to be assessed on how much energy they use, he said.

Someone who sits at a desk all day and does not exercise should

consume fewer than 1,700 calories - significantly less than current

recommendations of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men.

Meanwhile, an individual who has an active job and does a lot of

exercise like running marathons should be eating about 4,000 calories

a day.

Dr Shetty said the amount of food we eat should be based on

individuals energy expenditure.

He also recommended that we do more exercise.

" People must be physically very active and they must have activity

levels which account for between 30 to 60 minutes of brisk walking

everyday in order to maintain physical fitness and good health. "

The WHO study focused on children from Brazil, Ghana, Norway, Oman

and the US.