Over 1400 years ago, when a child was born, the Prophet ‎ﷺ made it his Sunnah to take a small part of a date and place it in his mouth. He would then chew it until it was soft and then rub it onto the palate of the new born baby. This is called Taḥnīk.

'Today', BBC News has reported that "experts" have said - "A dose of sugar given as a gel rubbed into the inside of the cheek is a cheap and effective way to protect premature babies against brain damage." (Source can be found in the comment section below) 
This is why Muslims follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allāh ‎ﷺ without questioning it. Science is only now discovering a tradition that was introduced 1400 years ago because Islām was and still is the forefront of development.