Dr. Robert Whitaker and Rachel Gooze of the Centre for research on obesity and education at the University Temple and Dr. Sarah Anderson of the Ohio State University College of public health, analyzed data, the early childhood longitudinal study, birth cohort, a national study on children born in 2001. They analyzed data from 6750 children to assess the association between the use of the bottle to 24 months of age and the risk of obesity to 5.5 years.
Of the studied children, 22% were prolonged bottle users, which means that 2 years using a beverage bottle as its principal container and have been in bed with a bottle containing calories. About 23% of the users of bottle extended while they had 5.5 years were obese.
"Children who still used a bottle at 24 months was approximately 30% more likely to be obese to 5.5 years, even after accounting for other factors, such as the weighting of the mother of low birth weight and feeding practices of children," explains Dr. Whitaker.
Drinking from a bottle beyond childhood may contribute to obesity by encouraging kids to consume too many calories.
"A girl of 24 months of medium to high weight put to bed with a bottle of 8 ounces of whole milk would receive approximately 12% of your daily calories of this bottle needs," says Rachel Gooze. Pointing out that weaned from the bottle by the time children are aged 1 year is little damage and can prevent obesity.
The authors suggest that pediatricians and other professionals of health in collaboration with the parents find acceptable solutions to stop the use of the bottle to the first anniversary of the child.
(Source: Elsevier: Journal of Pediatrics)
