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Diet Foods May Help Make Kids Fat

Low-calorie imitations confuse system, cause overeating

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:30 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Feeding children diet food may actually help make them fat, the BBC reports. Young rats who had been given low-calorie versions of ordinarily high-calorie food begin to gain weight when they were switched to regular fare, a new study found. Rather than stop eating when they reached a certain calorie level, they continued to consume at the same level they had on the low-cal version.

All put on weight, whatever they were intitally lean or not. Researchers theorize that the body uses taste to regulate calorie intake, and young children were unable to distinguish between low- and high-calorie versions. By adolescence, the rats could discern the difference and  therefore did not tend to overeat. “Diet foods are probably not a good idea for growing youngsters,” concluded the lead researcher.

Students at Piedmont Elementary eat lunch at school Tuesday, May 1, 2007, in Charleston, W.Va. Many school administrators are sneaking nutrition into school lunches, in an effort to combat the nation's growing childhood obesity problem. Administrators are cutting fat and calories by supplementing hamburgers with soy and subbing applesauce...
Students at Piedmont Elementary eat lunch at school Tuesday, May 1, 2007, in Charleston, W.Va. Many school administrators are sneaking nutrition into school lunches, in an effort to combat the nation's...   (Associated Press)
Diet and Low-Fat versions of high-calorie products should be avoided by youngsters learning to regulate caloric intake by taste, suggests the University of Alberta study.
"Diet" and "Low-Fat" versions of high-calorie products should be avoided by youngsters learning to regulate caloric intake by taste, suggests the University of Alberta study.   (Getty Images)
In the study, rats used their taste sensors to instinctively count calories. Low-cal versions of rich foods, scientists suggest, might throw off our own instinctive balance.
In the study, rats used their taste sensors to instinctively count calories. Low-cal versions of rich foods, scientists suggest, might throw off our own instinctive balance.   (Shutterstock.com)
The researchers believe that low-calorie versions of high-calorie foods disrupts the body's ability to regulate caloric consumption using taste.
The researchers believe that low-calorie versions of high-calorie foods disrupts the body's ability to regulate caloric consumption using taste.   (Shutterstock.com)
Otis Spunkmeyer cookies are displayed at their booth at the School Nutrition Association's national conference in Chicago on Tuesday, July 17, 2007. As the federal government cracks down on the standards for food that can be served in schools, vendors are rolling out healthy versions of lunchroom favorites like low-fat...
Otis Spunkmeyer cookies are displayed at their booth at the School Nutrition Association's national conference in Chicago on Tuesday, July 17, 2007. As the federal government cracks down on the standards...   (Associated Press)
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The study will appear in Obesity
Obesity

Older animals rely on more than just taste to judge food
Globe and Mail

 
obesity • food • childhood obesity • children • diet • calories

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