Here’s further proof that the idea of the calorie-controlled diet is too simplistic: overweight teenagers consume far fewer calories than their slimmer counterparts.
Obesity is not a simple matter of overweight people eating more, say researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, who made the discovery after studying the diets of 19,125 children aged between one and 17 years.
Although the very young children seem to be affected by the calories they eat, the very reverse is true once they hit their early teens.
The researchers surmise that perhaps the teenagers are doing less exercise because they are already overweight – but this does not explain the enormous difference in weight and the amount of food the teenagers consume.
Unfortunately, the researchers didn’t explore the type of food the children were eating; had they done so, the mystery may have become clearer.
In short, it’s what you eat – not how much – that matters. Fast, processed foods put on the pounds; healthy foods such as vegetables, meat and some grains don’t.
(Source: The University of North Carolina School of Medicine website).
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