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A 14-month old Italian baby was recently brought to the hospital by his grandparents after they discovered how malnourished he was. Not only was he in poor health, but his weight was barely heavier than that of a newborn child.
After doctors completed blood tests, they determined that the baby was malnourished and barely had barely enough calcium in his body to survive. The baby had also developed a congenital heart condition that called for immediate surgery.
The surgery was successful and the baby is, thankfully, now recovering in the hospital.
Luca Bernardo, director of pediatrics at the hospital where the baby was admitted, says that malnutrition cases like this call for doctors “to reflect on uncommon feeding regimes.”
The baby was reportedly fed a vegan diet, which resulted in his malnourished and unhealthy state.
“It is not a problem to choose different or unusual kinds of nutrition,” Bernardo clarified, “…but since birth, the baby should have had support in this case with calcium and iron.”
Vegan diets with healthy, well-balanced nutrients can be followed safely by adults, but children – especially infants – require certain key nutrients to ensure proper growth and development now and as they continue to grow. These nutrients include fatty acids, iron, calcium, and protein, all of which are difficult to obtain through a vegan diet.
After admitting the baby, the hospital immediately reported the case to the police. Prosecutors ordered the baby to be formally removed from his parents. The court will determine whether custody of the child should be formally given to his grandparents, who brought him in to the hospital for treatment.
Unfortunately, this case isn’t the first time vegan diets have been negatively affecting children’s health. At least four other children in Italy have been admitted to the hospital due to malnutrition from veganism.
It is, perhaps, in all parents’ best interests to allow their child to maintain a non-restrictive diet, regardless of their own dietary choices.
