Bottle feeding past one year increases the risk of childhood obesity

Bottle feeding past one year of life may increase the risk of childhood obesity by promoting the consumption of calories, suggests a study made by the Center for Research and Education Obesity Temple University and State University Ohio in the United States published in the journal "The Journal of Pediatrics. "

Experts agree that obesity prevention should begin before children start school.The study suggests that limiting the prolonged bottle feeding in children could be an effective way to help prevent obesity.

The researchers analyzed data from the Longitudinal Study of Early Childhood,a large U.S. national study of children born in 2001.They analyzed data of 6,750 children to assess the association between bottle use at 24 months of age and the risk of obesity at age 5.5 years. Of the children studied,those were were still using a bottle at 24 months, 22.9% of them were obese at age 5.5.The children who were not using a bottle at 24 months,the risk of obesity was only 16.1% at age 5.5.

According to Robert Whitaker from the Temple University,"children who were still using a bottle at 24 months were approximately 30 percent more likely to be obese at 5.5 years,even after taking into account other factors such as the weight of the mother,the child's birth weight and feeding practices during infancy."

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