Could watching what you eat start before kids are even off baby formula?

That's a question being asked in the wake of a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics pushing for reduced-fat dairy products, such as 2 per cent milk instead of whole (3.25 per cent) milk, for children as young as one year who are at risk of becoming overweight.

According to Dr. Madan Roy, the chief of general pediatrics at St. Joseph's and McMaster hospitals, the Canadian Pediatric Society will likely echo the recommendation of its U.S. counterpart.

"I can see in the future the CPS following suit in terms of the American Academy recommendations," said Roy.

But local pediatricians caution that the AAP recommendation does not apply to all children.

"If you have a very strong history of obesity, it may be a consideration, but I don't think it should be a general recommendation," said Dr. Katherine Morrison, the attending physician of the pediatric lipid clinic at McMaster Children's Hospital.

Although Morrison said in the past she has advised young patients who are at extreme risk for obesity to use 2 per cent milk, she is hesitant to endorse the AAP's statement.

The Canadian Pediatric Society continues to recommend whole milk until age two, but says 2 per cent milk is an acceptable substitute for children over the age of two if the child eats a variety of foods and grows at an acceptable rate.

Children generally get enough calories and fats in their diet from other sources, said Roy, so giving them lower-fat milk wouldn't affect the nutritional benefits they get from milk, such as calcium and protein.

Roy believes, however, that the AAP's recommendation isn't likely to change the habits of Canadian parents.

"The general public is well aware that the recommendation has always been to give homo milk to kids under two, so it's hard to see that a parent would go to 2 per cent without the recommendation of a doctor," said Roy.

lamueller@thespec.com

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