Study: Bottle-Feeding Increases Risk for Stomach Problems

Researchers in the Netherlands have found a connection between bottle-feeding and pyloric stenosis, a serious intestinal condition in babies that can lead to surgery and even death. Infants who are bottle-fed instead of from the breast are 4.6 times more likely to develop PS, a condition in which part of the baby’s stomach narrows, restricting food intake and often resulting in vomiting, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and failure to gain weight. It’s the most common cause of gastrointestinal blockage, tends to affect boys than girls, and is often the reason behind surgery in the first few months of life.

Plus: Help for Common Breastfeeding Problems

The study looked at more than 70,000 babies, and found that the risk factor is about the same whether babies are being fed formula or breastmilk from the bottle, and if they are being fed using a combination of bottle and breast. The results of the study, done at the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen. will be published in the October issue of Pediatrics. While there’s been much evidence to support the notion that breastmilk is the most nutritious option for baby, this study gets more specific, suggesting breastmilk taken from the breast is the healthiest option.

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