Eating Habits Trump Exercise for Controlling Weight Gain

What causes children to pack on the pounds?

With childhood obesity on the rise, researchers work to determine why some kids gain more weight than others.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled over the past 30 years. And the number of obese adolescents has quadrupled.

Scientists once thought that exercise was the biggest deterrent in unhealthy weight gain. Now, new research shows appetite may be a bigger factor in helping to curb the obesity epidemic.

A recent study conducted through the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) found that a child’s emotional relationship with food can have a significant impact on weight gain.

Published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, the studyexamined possible predictors in childhood obesity. It showed children who emotionally connect with food gain weight faster than those who don’t.

“Their food intake is controlled more by the sight and smell of food, and less by an inner experience of hunger,” said study coauthor Silje Steinsbekk in a news release published through NTNU.

Research conducted through a parental questionnaire asked a series of questions about mealtimes, comfort eating, and satiety at the end of a meal.

“Our results show that…the BMI (body mass index) of children who are particularly triggered by food increases more when compared with others,” said Steinsbekk.

The findings also show that a high BMI can directly correlate to increased appetite as a child ages.

“A high BMI leads to children becoming even more triggered by food over time. As they get older, they are even less able to stop eating when they’re full,” said Steinsbekk.

The results are part of a longer study that seeks to explore the psychological and psychosocial development of children over time.

Though the reason for these findings it not yet known, researchers believe that children who enjoy food the most continue to eat after satiety has been reached.

The study also examined whether physical activity and time spent watching television can explain why some children gain more weight than others. However, it was determined these factors did not contribute to the findings.

Overweight children are at risk for developing numerous health problems such as: cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, prediabetes, cancer, joint and bone problems.

Preventative measures can be taken by teaching healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle. In fact, a previous study indicated that even though overweight children sometimes make better food choices than normal weight kids, it was more beneficial when caregivers adapted the amount of healthy food intake to a child’s level of activity.

In addition, we recommend any child with a compromised immune system take a high-quality multivitamin containing a healthy dose of the right nutrients that support a healthy metabolism.