Milk at bedtime linked to toddler obesity

Jonathan Warren

Author: Jonathan Warren

11.12.2024

News

81266420 Parents who allow their toddlers to have a bottle of milk before bed could be putting their health at risk, according to research published last week. Experts in the US found that nearly 23 per cent of babies who were prolonged bottle users were overweight by the time they were five-and-a-half, compared to just 16 per cent who were not fed milk at bedtime. Dr. Robert Whitaker of the Centre for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University said: “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.”