FDA: Infants Often Get Herbal Teas, Supplements

As many as 9% of infants may be getting dietary botanical supplements and herbal teas during their first year of life, an FDA study suggests. And many are given the substances during their first month of life, according to Yuanting Zhang, PhD, of the FDA in College Park, Md., and colleagues. A clinical implication is that physicians should look out for possible interactions with medications and for potential adverse effects from such supplements, Zhang and colleagues reported online in Pediatrics. The finding comes from analysis of data collected in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, a longitudinal survey of women from late pregnancy through their infant's first year of life, conducted by the FDA and the CDC between 2005 and 2007, the researchers reported. It is the first study to examine the prevalence of supplement and tea use among infants, the researchers reported. They cautioned that the survey was nationally distributed but not representative, so that it is not possible to say that results apply to the whole population. Among other things, they noted, the sample of 2,653 mothers with healthy singleton infants over-represented non-Hispanic, white, older women of higher socioeconomic status. On the other hand, the survey had the advantage of focusing on healthy mothers and children rather than those with illness or chronic conditions, they noted. In the survey, about 3,000 women were sent a questionnaire before the birth of their infant and then 10 times postnatally. The postnatal questionnaires asked mothers if they had given supplements or herbal teas to their babies within the previous two weeks. For this analysis, the sample was restricted to surveyed mothers who supplied data for all the variables used in the regression analysis, the researchers reported. That analysis, using an ordered logistic regression, found: 5.7% of the mothers reported giving supplements or teas to their infants once and another 3.6% reported doing so twice or more. Mothers who used such substances themselves were nearly four times as likely as others to report giving them to the baby. The adjusted odds ratio, significant at P<0.0001, was 3.69, with a 95% confidence interval from 2.78 to 4.89. Longer breastfeeding was also associated with giving the substances to babies. The adjusted odds ratio for each additional week, also significant atP<0.0001, was 1.02, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.01 to 1.02. Hispanic mothers were more likely to give the compounds to their babies. The adjusted odds ratio, significant at P=0.016, was 1.85, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.12 to 3.06. The most common reasons mothers fed supplements and teas to their infants were to help with fussiness, digestion, colic, and relaxation, the researchers reported. Some of the supplements given included gripe water, chamomile, and mint. Unspecified tea products or baby tea products also were administered. The study was supported by the FDA. The authors said they had no disclosures.

Primary source: Pediatrics Source reference: Zhang Y, et al. "Feeding of dietary botanical supplements and teas to infants in the United States" Pediatrics 2011; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-2294.

Posted in: Buddha,Buddhism,Community,Health,Hobby,Kasogatan,News,Sports,Tantra,Technology,Weather,Zen,Zhenfo Zong