More Meals May Mean Thinner Children - East Idaho News
Health

More Meals May Mean Thinner Children

  Published at

Getty 041013 ChildEating?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1365614089676iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — According to a new study, children who eat more frequently may actually be thinner.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, says that skipping meals and snacks does not aid in reducing childrens’ weight. In fact, the opposite may be true.

According to the study, which followed almost 19,000 young people ranging in age from 2 years old to 19 years old, several small meals during the day may aid in regulating appetite and promoting physical activity.

The study found that those children who ate frequently had a 22 percent lower chance of being obese or overweight, though that was almost entirely accounted for by males.

According to the researchers, most studies in adults have also shown that eating more frequently can be an advantage in terms of weight.

The researchers believe that schools may play a role in improving children’s eating tendencies, adding that perhaps smaller and more frequent meals in school could be an effective way to battle childhood obesity.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION