Bottle-fed babies who start eating solids early are more likely to become obese children, says a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. With three-quarters of babies on bottles rather than being breast fed by the age of four months and a growing number of children becoming obese or overweight, the study has wide implications.

The researchers believe that breast-fed babies are good at regulating their milk intake in relation to their needs. But mothers who bottle-feed may be anxious for their baby to finish the bottle and when they start a baby early on solids ? before six months ? they may not reduce the amount of bottle feed they also give.

The study is based on the detailed feeding history of almost 900 mothers and babies who took part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The study, Children of the 90s, recruited 14,000 mothers during pregnancy in 1991-92 and has followed most of them in detail ever since.

It found that increased calorie intake in babies was linked to 50 per cent raised risk of being obese at the age of three and a 25 per cent raised risk at five. Dr Pauline Emmett, the senior nutritionist in the study, said: “It could be that more advice should be made available about weaning, tailored to the particular needs of formula-fed infants.”

In the push to persuade mothers to breast feed, perhaps we have neglected to provide adequate information to formula feeders. Dr Ken Ong, from the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit and Cambridge University said: “There is a growing awareness that some infants may be fed excessively and develop a higher risk for obesity.”

3 Things that are lacking in formula milk

1 Formula milk lacks lactose and ogilosaccaharides. Lactose is considered an important carbohydrate for brain development. Formula feeds are sweetened with corn syrup. Studies suggest using corn syrup as the prime milk-carbohydrate source in an infant below a year is nutritionally unwise

2 Formula feed lacks cholesterol and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which are vital nutrients for growing brains and bodies. Their absence may predispose a child to heart and central nervous system diseases in adulthood. Moreover, leftover unabsorbed fat accounts for unpleasant stools in formula-fed babies.

3 Formula milk lacks white blood cells and immunoglobin, which help in building immunity in a baby, and digestive enzymes that promote intestinal health. Hormones contribute to the overall biochemical balance and well being of babies. Formula milk lacks these digestive hormones. A mother gives these hormones and enzymes to the infant through breast milk.