An 11-month-old baby in Spain has been diagnosed with scurvy after being fed a plant-based only diet of almond milk.
Writing about the unusual findings in the journal Pediatrics, the doctors at Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe de Valencia believe the case “presents scurvy as a new and severe complication of improper use of almond beverage in the first year of life.”
The doctors now want both paediatricians and parents to be aware that “plant-based beverages are not a complete food” and should not be used as alternatives to breast or formula milk.
In the report, the doctors describe how the youngster was given cow’s milk until he was two-and-a-half months, before he was switched to an almond-based mixture on the advice of doctors after developing a skin rash.
The youngster was given 30 or more ounces daily, but when his mother tried to feed him puréed vegetables at six-months-old, he wouldn’t eat it.
According to the Washington Post, the youngster was diagnosed with scurvy at 11-months-old, after doctors discovered femur fractures and low vitamin C levels.
Explaining that it wasn’t the almond milk that caused the scurvy, they highlighted the importance of giving your baby breast or formula milk and fruit in order to meet the recommended vitamin C levels.
“When plant-based beverages are the exclusive diet in the first year of life and not consumed as a supplement to formula or breastfeeding, it can result in severe nutritional problems."
