Babies fed on cow’s milk are likely to become overweight: study

In another study that reiterates the importance of breastfeeding infants, researchers now claim that babies on cow’s milk or formula before reaching their first birthday tend to become overweight or obese later on in life, according to a report published in the Daily Mail.

The study was carried out on more than 1000 children, whose weight, height and body mass index were measured 14 times from birth to the age of ten. It involved giving infants the recommended daily maximum of 600ml of cow’s milk at the age of eight months. Researchers found that having 600ml or more of formula milk daily led the babies to gain weight faster and stay heavier than breast-fed children at the age of ten.

Most doctors have advised in the past that babies should not be given cow’s milk as their main drink before the age of one. The results of this study were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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