Honey not advisable to babies

Never give your baby honey or food made with honey. Your baby could get very sick or even die.

The message above made me think and I want to know the answer. Why honey not advisable to children under 1 year old? So I made a little research and want to share with you.


Honey is not suitable for babies under one year because of the risk of botulism. This is extremely rare, but, as a safety precaution you are advised not to give honey to young babies. This means that it should not be used to sweeten fruit in cooking and it should not be added to a bottle either. Also, soothers should never be dipped in honey. Honey as well as sugar are sometimes added to babies bottles, but, it is important to warn that this may cause your baby harm. Although there is no legislation that requires labelling of honey as unsuitable for infants and babies under one year, some honey manufacturers state that it is unsuitable on their label.

What is botulism?

Botulism is a serious illness that causes flaccid paralysis of muscles. It is caused by a neurotoxin, generically called botulinum toxin, that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. There are seven distinct neurotoxins (types A-G) that Clostridium botulinum produce, but types A, B, and E (rarely F) are the most common that produce the flaccid paralysis in humans. The other types mainly cause disease in animals. Most Clostridium species produce only one type of neurotoxin.

The recorded history of botulism begins in 1735, when the disease was first associated with German sausage (food-borne disease, or food poisoning after eating sausage). In 1870, a German physician by the name of Muller derived the name botulism from the Latin word for sausage. Clostridium botulinum bacteria were first isolated in 1895, and a neurotoxin that it produces was isolated in 1944 by Dr. Edward Schantz.

How many kinds of botulism are there?

There are three main kinds of botulism, which are categorized by the way in which the disease is acquired:

Food-borne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the botulinum neurotoxin.

Wound botulism is caused by neurotoxin produced from a wound that is infected with the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.

Infant botulism occurs when an infant consumes the spores of the botulinum bacteria. The bacteria then grow in the intestines and release the neurotoxin.

Three other kinds of botulism have been described but are seen rarely. The first is adult intestinal colonization that is seen in older children and adults with abnormal bowels. Only rarely does intestinal infection with the Clostridium botulinum bacteria occur in adults. Typically, the adult form of this intestinal botulism is related to abdominal surgical procedures. The second kind (injection botulism) is seen in patients injected with inappropriately high amounts of therapeutic neurotoxin (for example, Botox, Dysport), while the third kind (inhalation botulism) has occurred in laboratory personnel who work with the neurotoxins. All of these six kinds of botulism are potentially fatal.

How serious is botulism?

Botulinum neurotoxin is considered one of the most potent, lethal substances known. As little as about one nanogram/kg can be lethal to an individual, and scientists have estimated that about one gram could potentially kill one million people. All forms of botulism can be fatal and are considered medical emergencies. Food-borne botulism can be especially dangerous because many people can be poisoned by eating even small amounts of neurotoxin-contaminated food. A botulism outbreak is a public-health emergency that is reportable to the U.S. government.

How does botulism neurotoxin affect the body?

A neurotoxin actually paralyzes the nerves so that the muscles cannot contract. This happens when the neurotoxin enters nerve cells and eventually interferes with the release of acetylcholine so the nerve cannot stimulate the muscle to contract. Unless the nerve can regenerate a new axon that has no exposure to the neurotoxin, the interference at the neuromuscular junction is permanent. This is why it takes so long to recover from botulism and also why cosmetic and therapeutic uses of diluted neurotoxin can be effective for relatively lengthy time periods.

What kind of organism is Clostridium botulinum?

Clostridium botulinum is the name of bacteria commonly found in soil all over the world. The bacteria are considered to be anaerobic, which means these rod-shaped organisms grow best in low or absent oxygen levels. Clostridium form spores which allow the bacteria to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions that can support growth. There are seven types of botulism neurotoxin designated by the letters A through G. Only types A, B, E, and F cause illness in humans.