Five years, then the truth. The pediatric nutritionist Marina Chaparro he said he treated a newborn that he was starving, only to discover that his mother had decided to put him on a diet based on almond milk. The hospital diagnosis? Diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication, found by the Miami Pediatric Endocrinology Unit. When does it occur? As the body begins to break down fatty acids for energy, it releases ketones and makes the blood dangerously acidic. Symptoms? The baby was losing weight and was vomiting.
Medicines unobtainable, the ministry’s plan to avoid prescriptions that prescribe unavailable therapies
Newborn dies of starvation for diet based on almond milk, hospitalization
When the newborn arrived at the hospital, Dr. Chaparro and her colleagues thought he had type 1 diabetes. But after a series of tests, they learned that that wasn’t the cause: it was starvation. Because? The mother was feeding him mostly almond milk, presumably following a diet based, not on medical advice, but found online. The baby’s mom “was doing her best,” Chaparro added, and probably thought that because almond milk worked for her, it was good for her baby.
How is the newborn?
Chaparro said the newborn recovered quickly and was discharged after a few days of proper feeding. But the experience made Chaparro realize “how deep sometimes these dietary messages reach into our culture, and we hear them and sometimes translate them to our children and our families.”
Why did the nutritionist tell the story only now?
The nutritionist told Insider that the story has stuck with her over the years because it illustrates the dangers of medical misinformation, something that has only become more prevalent in recent years.
Because breast milk is irreplaceable
Breast milk, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, is irreplaceable. Not even cow’s milk or other non-dairy milk substitutes can give the same substances. Baby formula is “really hard to redo, it’s really hard to have that balance that food scientists have been studying for years,” Chaparro said in a webinar hosted by the California Strawberry Commission. “Not to mention the risk of cross-contamination and infection” when creating your own formula.
The danger of online recipes
That of the newborn who followed the almond milk diet is not the first case. Other parents have turned to internet recipes for homemade formulas. Dr. Owais Durrani, an East Texas ER doctor, speaking to Insider warned of the consequences, such as lethargy e convulsionswhich he witnessed firsthand. “A formula is essentially regulated as tightly as any prescribed drug when it comes to the ingredients in it to make sure a baby’s kidneys are developing, their liver, their electrolytes — everything else is in a great balance,” he said. said. “They’re not as resilient as an adult who could stand in the sun for 12 hours and become dehydrated. For the most part we’ll still be fine, but that’s not the case for a child,” Durrani added. “Every electrolyte, every component, every mineral in that formula is very important.” Faced with shortages, Durrani recommended parents switch to other available brands if possible, or ask for samples of formula from their pediatrician or local hospital.
© breaking latest news