International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Newborn babies should not be given sugar for pain relief, according to a new study.

Contrary to existing medical practice, research in the journal The Lancet suggests feeding newborns sugar may cause brain damage.

According to the study, which was carried out by University College London, doctors should not give young babies sugar to relieve the pain of minor medical procedures, such as pricking the child's heel to obtain a blood sample, or putting in a drip for antibiotics.

"Our findings indicate that sucrose is not an effective pain relief drug. This is especially important in view of the increasing evidence that pain may cause short- and long-term adverse effects on infant neurodevelopment," said Dr Rebecca Slater, who led the Medical Research Council-funded study.

"While we remain unsure of the impact sucrose has, we suggest that it is not used routinely to relieve pain in infants without further investigation."

The researchers said the study highlighted a need for an alternative pain-relief solution to be found.

Recently, a study by Canadian researchers revealed that babies who are six months old become stressed out when they are ignored by their mother for as little time as two minutes.

Posted by Paul Robertson