Honey and babies: the risk of infant botulism

Your honey to feed your baby Know someone who does If so, there is a slight risk associated with feeding babies honey that must be known. Called botyliasis, and although it is very rare, the results of a about botulism can be very serious.

What is botulism

Botulism is actually a type of food poisoning. This is caused by (Clostridium botulinum), a microorganism that may be present in honey. When the lower bowels of infants infected with this microorganism, it can develop a toxin. The toxin causes a paralytic effect by blocking the transmission of nerve impulses.

(A note, is the paralytic effect of botulinum, which makes effective BoTox treatments.)

An infant suffering from botulism poisoning may exhibit symptoms such as constipation, muscle weakness, continuing a weak appetite and a fire can cry aloud.

If your child shows symptoms that you think should botulism poisoning related to seek immediate medical treatment, Botulism poisoning can cause death in rare cases. In fact, some medical professionals believe that botulism poisoning may be the cause of some instances of sudden death (SIDS).

Potential sources of botulism

Honey is not only presenting a potential risk of botulism poisoning for infants. Unwashed vegetables and fruits, fresh and processed meat, and even corn syrup all contain botulism spores were found in at least rare opportunity. To reduce the risk, all primary agricultural products must be washed before being served.

And although the likelihood of honey containing spores (Clostridium botulinum) is very low (only about 10% of the thousands of samples tested over time), it's best to avoid feeding your baby honey. In fact, the National Honey Board, centers for disease control and infection, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all your feed no honey for children less than 1 year of age.

What about the older children and adults

Anyone aged over 1 year of age have no need to fear the possibility of the presence of botulism spores in the honey. This is because only very small children are denied the beneficial intestinal bacteria that make botulism spores harmless.

In fact, it is believed that there is a real risk to infants who are at least 26 weeks. Both the recommendation of the diet not honey for children up to 1 years provides an important safety buffer.

Don't let it spoil your appetite on honey

As noted above, honey do not present a risk for older children and adults. And indeed, raw honey offers a rather amazing range of potential health benefits. So it would be a shame to deprive yourself and your older children the benefits of honey because of irrational fears about botulism.

In addition, the darned things honey is delicious