Aluminium risk to bottle-fed babies

Press, 23 November 1988, Page 35

Aluminium risk to bottle-fed babies

NZPA London British researchers say thousands of bottle-fed babies risk long-term brain and bone damage because of aluminium in their milk powders. Surveys show the powders often contain more than 100 times the amount of aluminium found in breast milk, the “Sunday Times” newspaper said. Aluminium interferes with the production of enzymes vital to brain activity and there are also fears that high doses could accelerate mental decline in old age.

But there is no evidence that bottle-fed babies grow up any less intelli-

gent than breast-fed babies. Professor John Blair of Aston University in Birmingham said urgent action was needed to protect babies against possible harm. “The evidence for aluminium as a neurotoxin is infinitely stronger than that for lead.” “I would have thought the burden of evidence is now so strong that aluminium should be excluded completely from these materials.” The chances of contamination increase when feeds are more highly processed. Although older babies

probably excrete most of it, substantial amounts might be absorbed by very young babies. The danger period might be the first few days or weeks of life, before the body’s mechanisms for guarding against such toxins have developed fully. Once in the blood, aluminium can interfere with a wide range of body systems and in extreme cases can form at growth points in bones, causing stunting. Clear links have also been established between aluminium and Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia.