Sudden infant death syndrome requires genetic predisposition, some form of stress and marginal malnutrition.

Over the past 30 years or more, the problem of sudden, unexplained death in infants (SIDS) has made little headway. Many hypotheses have been offered but the basic cause remains elusive. The only successful prevention has been made by the supine sleeping posture. There is still, however, a hard core of unexplained incidents. There is evidence that certain stress factors are involved, and there is good evidence that the tragedy has a familial or genetic tendency. The third factor necessary for the event is inefficient oxidation in brain cells induced most commonly by marginal malnutrition in pregnancy or after birth. The absence of any one or more of these three factors decreases risk to the point of extinction. Anything that impedes healthy oxidation, or accelerates energy utilization through responding to stress, increases the risk greatly. Improving the biochemical mechanisms through appropriate nutrition is by far the best defense. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.