Most health claims not backed by science: study

The vast majority of health claims used to advertise baby formula worldwide are not supported by rigorous scientific evidence, a study said yesterday, leading researchers to urge the breast milk substitutes be sold in plain packaging. The study comes a week after a group of doctors and scientists called for a regulatory crackdown on the $55-billion formula industry for "predatory" marketing which they said exploits the fears of new parents to convince them not to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is widely recognised to have huge health benefits for babies. The World Health Organization and the US CDC recommend breastfeeding exclusively during the first six months of a newborn's life. However that recommendation is followed for less than half of infants globally, according to the WHO. Daniel Munblit, an honorary senior lecturer at Imperial College London and an author of the new study, said researchers were not on a "crusade" against infant formula, which should remain an option for mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed.