Children who still drink from baby bottles at the age of two increase their risk of obesity, researchers have warned.
A new US study in The Journal of Pediatrics says prolonged bottle use encourages the child to consume too many calories, causing weight gain.
Dr Robert Whitaker and Rachel Gooze, of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, and Dr Sarah Anderson of The Ohio State University College of Public Health, analysed data from 6,750 children to assess the link between bottle use at 24 months and the risk of obesity at 5.5 years.
They found that 22 per cent used a bottle as their main drinks container and/or were put to bed with a bottle.
Of those youngsters, almost 23 per cent were obese by the age of 5.5.
“Children who were still using a bottle at 24 months were approximately 30 per cent more likely to be obese at 5.5 years, even after accounting for other factors such as the mother’s weight, the child’s birth weight, and feeding practices during infancy,” Dr Whitaker said.
An eight-ounce bottle of whole milk contains about 12 per cent of the calories needed for a 24-month-old girl of average weight and height, said Rachel Gooze, who added that weaning children from the bottle by the time they are one is unlikely to cause harm and may prevent obesity.
Prolonged Bottle Use and Obesity at 5.5 Years of Age in US Children. Rachel A. Gooze, MPH, Sarah E. Anderson, PhD, and Robert C. Whitaker. The Journal of Pediatrics, DOI 10.1016/j.jpeds.2011.02.037.
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