In response to news stories about this research The Lullaby Trust says:
“We’re aware of this study and some media headlines stating a potential cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been found. This study looks to identify a biomarker that could help detect babies more at risk of SIDS, and we urge caution when reporting on any research around ‘causes’ of SIDS. Claims that a cause of SIDS has been found could give false hope to families whose baby has died suddenly and unexpectedly and may downplay the continued importance of the safer sleep advice.
“The findings of this study are interesting and more work needs to be done. We welcome any new SIDS research and hope that it helps us understand more about why apparently healthy babies die without cause. We know that continuing to invest in research is really important to bereaved families, and we hope this study highlights that there is still much we need to know about SIDS.
“While research is underway, we urge all parents and carers with infants to continue following the evidence-based safer sleep advice to reduce the risk of SIDS occurring. This includes: always sleeping baby on their back in a clear sleep space on a flat, firm and waterproof mattress with no bulky bedding, pillows or cot bumpers. This advice has secured significant decreases in the number of babies dying of SIDS.
You can read more about the research findings here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396422002225
