"Honey should be strictly avoided for infants under 12 months due to potential toxin formation leading to paralysis"
Honey is considered a popular food item known for its benefits to throat health and immune system enhancement. It is often recommended for soothing coughs in adults. However, when it comes to feeding honey to babies, extra caution is necessary. A recent report by the UK newspaper Thesun highlights the importance of never giving honey to infants under 12 months old.
According to Tiny Hearts Education, experts in pediatric and child emergency care in the UK, feeding honey to infants under 12 months old can put them at risk of infant botulism. Honey contains bacteria that can produce toxins causing infant botulism. The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK states that these bacteria present in honey can generate toxins in an infant's digestive system and subsequently attack the brain, nerves, and spinal cord, leading to paralysis.
While most individuals can fully recover from the illness with appropriate treatment, delayed intervention can result in paralysis affecting muscles responsible for breathing and posing a life-threatening situation. Infant botulism proves highly fatal for about 5-10% of affected individuals.
If an infant develops infant botulism, various symptoms may manifest including difficulty bending knees and elbows due to muscle weakness and a drooping head posture. Other signs may include persistent crying, decreased appetite, constipation accompanied by difficulties swallowing food.
Boiling honey does not make it safe either since the bacteria responsible for causing infant botulism possess heat-resistant properties that persist even after boiling.
Emergency care specialists emphasize that honey should never be given to children under 12 months old as they lack natural defense mechanisms against botulinum toxin. However, breastfeeding mothers do not need to worry about consuming honey as it does not transmit toxins through breast milk.