Study Infants often consume too many calories and proteins

Children absorb too much protein if they get a lot of milk every day
Many things have to be taken into account in the nutrition of toddlers in order to avoid later illness and overweight. For this reason, mothers should be careful not to feed their children with too much milk. Otherwise, there is an increased likelihood that such children will later become obese, scientists warn.

At the present time, children are often overweight when they start primary school. Many children eat almost three times more than they should eat. Researchers from University College London and the Universities of Oxford and Bristol have now found out that infants often develop diseases such as high blood pressure, heart problems and type 2 diabetes as a result of being overweight. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "British Journal of Nutrition".

Many infants consume too many calories and proteins every day. Often, mothers feed their children with too much milk. Such children later have an increased chance of developing overweight or obesity. (Image: dementevajulia / fotolia.com)

Children usually drink too much milk
One fifth of all children are already overweight when starting primary school. The nutrition of infants is crucial for their future health, warn the medical profession. When toddlers get too much milk, yogurt and dairy products, they ingest too much protein. The research team found that average 21-month British children draw about a quarter of the calories from cow's milk. However, the National Health Service (NHS) advises not to feed more than 600 milliliters of milk daily. All infants should be given healthy food, including five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. In addition, children should consume fish and starchy foods, say the experts. Salty, sweet and fatty foods and drinks should be reduced, explain the physicians.

About 63 percent of British children eat too many calories every day
Preferences and eating habits established during the first two years of life can influence what we eat later in life and thus have lasting effects on our health, explains lead author Hayley Syrad of University College London. In the study, the researchers focused on the data of 2,336 children and found that the recommended daily calorie intake was significantly exceeded. About 63 percent of the children consumed 1035 calories on average, but the doctors recommend that children should consume a maximum of 986 calories a day. The protein intake was about 40 grams per day, a value almost three times higher than the recommended amount for toddlers, the researchers explain. Overweight children have an increased chance of becoming obese in later life. From the obesity can then health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes arise, the experts add. (As)