It was revealed at the Mums of Today Event, an SMA® Nutrition event, that research shows 93% of mums are unaware that on average babies are consuming too much protein during their early development.
While almost 1 in 5 mums (19%) know that breastfed babies grow at a steadier rate than bottle fed babies. The research highlighted that only 9% of mums were aware that too much protein in the first 1000 days may cause rapid growth, with 42% thinking this was false.
SMA® Nutrition is calling on Irish mums to be aware that during a baby’s early development, they require the right quality and quantity of protein to help them to grow at a steady rate.
Mums were also asked where they find information on their baby’s needs. 55% of mums turn to healthcare professionals for advice with half (50%) of surveyed mums using the internet as a source of information.
In contrast, just 10% of mums used other sources e.g. books and educational knowledge to find information on their baby’s nutritional needs.
The majority of mothers, 76%, said that they were not provided with adequate information regarding their baby’s protein requirements.
During the event, a review of protein requirements during the human lifecycle was referenced by speakers. Research Fellow Dr Caoileann Murphy found that older adults require additional protein in later life to preserve their muscle mass and function.
As we grow from birth through to adulthood, we need to adjust our protein intake to get the optimum levels of protein for our needs.
Older people need more protein, while babies need less than was previously thought for healthy growth.
The research was conducted by iReach on behalf of SMA® Nutrition.
