Early nutrition can impact a child's future health   by Eveline Gan     IF YOU think some junk food won't hurt your child, consider this. What you feed your child in the first few years may have an impact on his or her adult health.   Recent research has suggested that health problems such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases have their roots in early life, said experts Today spoke to. Nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood can programme a person's future risk of developing certain diseases.   In Singapore, about one out of 10 adult Singaporeans are obese.   The new Danone Research Centre for Specialised Nutrition, which opened early this month, will look into these areas on child and maternal nutrition and health. Over the next five years, global food company Danone will invest S$70 million in the research and development centre to focus on how nutrition impacts gut bacteria, immune system and overall development of babies and children.   Said Dr Eline Van Der Beek, research director at Danone Research Centre for Specialised Nutrition: "In the first phase of life, the groundwork for the adult body is laid down. If nutrition of the foetus or infant is not optimal, it tries to adapt to this situation to have short-term benefits (survival) which may not be beneficial in the long term."   She cited several studies which showed that children born from mothers who were malnourished during pregnancy were at a higher risk of developing diseases during adulthood. Similarly, studies also found that babies born with too small or too large birth weight also face a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.   Interestingly, too-small babies born to malnourished mums tend to be obese in adult life. Professor Quak Seng Hock, head and senior consultant of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation Services at National University Hospital, explained: "The hypothesis is that because of malnutrition in the intra-uterine life, the body tends to store excess energy as fat and this results in obesity."   What you feed your child in the early years may also affect his intellectual development. The brain grows most rapidly in the first three years of life, said Prof Quak.   "Malnutrition at this stage can affect neurodevelopment, resulting in poorer intellectual performance later in life," he added.       The most critical phase   According to the experts, the most critical phase for "optimal programming" is during gestation and in the first few childhood years.   Optimal pregnancy nutrition, followed by breastfeeding, may be able to reduce the risk of the child becoming obese later by at least 25 per cent, said Dr Eline. Another critical phase is the age between four and seven years.   However, Prof Quak said eating and lifestyle habits are equally important in combating obesity.   Is there a best diet for babies and young children?   Both experts said the most ideal nutrition for babies is still breast milk, which contains the best quality proteins. Dr Eline recommended exclusive breastfeeding for about four to six months of age, followed by partial breast feeding for at least the first year of life together with high-quality complementary baby food.   "For mums who cannot breast feed, human milk needs to be replaced by a high-quality infant formula if the baby is six months or less, and by a high-quality follow-on formula from age half a year onwards. Both products are nowadays adapted to the composition of human milk but 'the original' cannot be copied completely," she said.                     This article was featured in Today April 26, 2011. http://www.todayonline.com/Health/EDC110426-0000447/Say-no-to-junk-for-Junior