Regional guidelines to tackle infant malnutrition expected

Dubai: The Middle East is close to formulating a nutritional guideline and policy for infants when they switch from breastfeeding to solid food. It is based on international guidelines and tailored for the region.

Representatives from the Middle East Academy of Paediatric Nutrition (MEAPN), created by Wyeth Nutrition, which develops, manufactures and distributes nutritional products, are collecting data on infant nutrition. An action plan is to be formulated in November.

The eight member countries comprise the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.

Dr Eric L. Lien, vice-president of nutritional research at Wyeth Nutrition, told Gulf News the guidelines were important to improve infant nutrition during the weaning process, which is low in the region and other parts of the world.

He added that the most common problems included iron, protein, vitamin and calcium deficiencies.

The MEAPN meeting in November will recommend a comprehensive policy on breastfeeding and weaning, which will have to be ratified by each member state.

Dr Lien hopes the process will take less than three years.

Beverly Halchak, senior director of nutrition policy at Wyeth, said deficiency in an infant's diet during the first two years of their life would lead to some developmental problems.

"If they have an iron deficiency growing up, they will have a shorter attention span and be more irritable they will be less focused," she said.