Prolonged bottle-feeding tied to kids' obesity

[Guest guest]

Two-year-olds who are still using bottles are more likely to be obese by

kindergarten, a new study finds.

Researchers who studied 6,750 U.S. children found that toddlers who were

still drinking from bottles at age 2 were one-third more likely than other

kids to be obese at the age of 5.

The researchers don't know whether long-term bottle-feeding is directly to

blame.

But they say their findings raise the possibility that weaning babies from

the bottle around their first birthday could help prevent excessive weight

gain.

Pediatricians already advise parents to wean children from the bottle to

toddler-friendly cups when they are about 12 to 14 months old, or even

earlier.

That, however, is largely because prolonged bottle-feeding, especially

overnight, is thought to boost the risk of cavities. It may also contribute

to iron deficiency.

The current findings, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, online May 5,

may offer parents added incentive to follow those recommendations, according

to lead researcher A. Gooze, a doctoral candidate in public health at

Temple University in Philadelphia.

And that incentive may be needed, she noted in an interview, since it seems

that many 2-year-olds are still using bottles.

Of the children Gooze and her colleagues studied, 1 in 5 was still using a

bottle at the age of 24 months -- either at night or all the time.

And of those long-term bottle users, roughly 1 in 5 was obese at the age of

5, versus about 1 in 6 children who'd been weaned earlier.

The researchers then looked at a number of factors that could affect a

child's risk of obesity -- including the mother's weight, family income and

education, and whether the child had ever been breastfed.

They found that prolonged bottle-feeding, itself, was linked to a 33%

increase in children's risk of obesity.

" The bottle may be providing a source of comfort, rather than meeting

nutritional needs, " Gooze said.

And the extra calories could be substantial. As an example, Gooze noted that

if an average-size 2-year-old girl drinks an 8-ounce bottle of whole milk at

bedtime, that would meet 12% of her calorie needs for the day.

Prolonged bottle-feeding may also get in the way of toddlers having a

varied, nutritious diet, according to Dr. Marc S. son, a member of the

American Academy of Pediatrics' Obesity Leadership Workgroup.

Like Gooze, Dr. son noted that the current study shows an association,

and not necessarily cause-and-effect. But he said the findings do turn

attention to the importance of early life in the risk of childhood obesity.

" A lot of the public discussion about the obesity epidemic has been about

fast food, junk food and soda, " Dr. son said. " But there are also

infant feeding issues associated with obesity. "

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/mnCVrl

Pediatrics 2011.

--

Ortiz, MS, RD

*The FRUGAL Dietitian* <http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com>

Check out my blog: mixture of deals and nutrition

Join me on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/TheFrugalDietitian?ref=ts>

The Frugal Dietitian Giveaway: One tube of ROC RETINOL CORREXION® Deep

Wrinkle Night Cream <http://thefrugaldietitian.com/?p=21714>Polo Shirt with

your logo: $2.95 shipped Great Father’s Day

Gift<http://thefrugaldietitian.com/?p=20750>

* " Nutrition is a Science, Not an Opinion Survey " *