When Should Infants Start Eating Solid Food?

The WHO recommends that infants should be exclusively breast-fed through age 6 months, while the American Academy of Pediatrics currently states breast-fed babies can start eating solid food at age 4 months but “preferably” at 6 months. Where does the current evidence point? Researchers in the U.K. — where the Department of Health still follows the WHO recommendation (along with a minority of western countries) — examined the evidence base for the WHO recommendation along with newer data to reassess the risks and benefits of both approaches.

Infection: Most studies published before and since the 2001 WHO recommendation are observational and cannot prove causation. The data from both developed and developing countries show a variety of advant…