Researchers from the Centre for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia and the Ohio State University of Public Health found that children who were using a bottle at 24 months were around 30 per cent more likely to be obese at five-and-a-half years, after taking into account other factors such as the mother's weight, the child's birth weight, and feeding practices during infancy.
The study used data collected on 6,750 US children born in 2001 as part of a birth cohort study. Of the children studied, 22 per cent were prolonged bottle users, defined as using a bottle as their primary drink container at the age of two, and/or being put to bed with a bottle. Nearly a quarter of prolonged bottle users were obese by the time they were five-and-a-half.
The report said prolonged use of a bottle could encourage a child to consume more calories, particularly when the parents are giving them the bottle to provide comfort rather than to address a child's hunger or nutritional needs.
Rachel Gooze, a doctoral candidate in public health at Temple University, said, 'It is possible that the calories coming in from the bottle might be in excess of what the child needs during the day. For young toddlers, an eight-ounce bottle of whole milk can contain close to 12 per cent of their daily calorie intake.'
Ms Gooze said weaning children from the bottle by the time they are one is unlikely to cause harm and may prevent obesity.
Dr Robert Whitaker, professor of pediatrics and public health at Temple University, added, 'Children may over-consume due to the comfort and security that a bottle provides, but at two years old, calories and nutrients can and should be coming from sources other than a bottle'.
The study recommends that paediatricians and other health professionals work with parents to find acceptable ways to stop bottle use after a child's first birthday.
FURTHER INFORMATION
'Prolonged Bottle Use and Obesity at 5.5 years of age in US children' is published in the Journal of Pediatrics, www.jpeds.com
