It is a common practice to feed babies honey to prevent them from different diseases.
However, a new research’s finding says that you should not give honey to babies because of botulism (explanation ahead) which takes place due to honey consumption in a baby body. It ultimately creates poisoning and paralysis.
Initially, a baby undergoes progressive muscular weakness, muscle contraction and poor head control (floppy baby) because of this disease. One can get botulism through food (mostly canned foods), wound or an infant can get it through honey.
A poisoning by the neurotoxin botulinum is called botulism. Botulism is named after clostridium botulinum.
The toxin (a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms) in a body sticks to nerve endings to block them preventing them from functioning. This leads to weakness and can even cause immobilization and death from respiratory paralysis.
According to HowStuffWorks website:
“These bacteria are pretty common, but lucky for us, they’re killed by oxygen. There’s a good amount of free-range oxygen in our air. Unfortunately, they’ve adapted to form spores around themselves that let them lie dormant until they find themselves back in an oxygen-free environment.”
The immune system in grown up people help them against the bacteria, however babies cannot handle this situation. So when the botulinum reaches into the intestines of the baby, they can activate and poison the baby.
Mostly adults get potent bacterial toxin from improperly canned food. Food should be heated properly to destroy the pores while canning it.
Otherwise, the bacteria can activate once the can has been sealed which later bloats the can.
Honey usually contains a few spores of clostridia botulinum which bees accidentally pick up during the process of collecting flower nectar.
