That bedtime bottle or afternoon nap treat might seem innocuous enough, but new research shows excess milk consumption is putting toddlers at risk of diabetes and heart disease.
In the biggest ever study of its kind, teams from University College London and Oxford and Bristol universities found that the majority (99.9 per cent) of toddlers in Britain consumed up to three times too much protein every day, as parents feed them ever more milk, cheese and yogurt.
While milk and formula should be limited for children who are weaned, researchers have discovered that, at 21 months of age, one quarter of the calories the average British toddler consumes are from cow’s milk. Experts warn that toddlers should not be given more than 600ml – just over a pint – per day – in order to prevent obesity.
The study of more than 2,000 children, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, also found that the average daily calorie intake of British toddlers ‘significantly exceeded’ the recommended 968 calorie limit. In fact, 63 per cent got through an average 1,035.
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