Source

LONDON, ENGLAND, August 14, 2003: School children consume more fatty foods as their lives grow stressful, which could lead to increased risk of heart disease, cancer or Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes, where either the body does not produce insulin or the cells ignore the insulin, and is the result of poor diet. Stressed-out 11-year-olds consume fewer nutritious meals and snacks, according to British researchers. A study of 4,320 schoolchildren found that they tended to slip into generally unhealthy dietary practices as they grew more stressful. They munched often on bad stuff, says a report in the Health Psychology. “Children in the most stressed category ate more fatty foods and were less likely to consume the recommended fruits and vegetables or eat a daily breakfast,” says Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK’s Health Behaviour Unit. Teenage obesity increases the chances of being overweight as an adult, which can lead to increased risk of heart disease, cancer or Type 2 diabetes, say the researches. They also inquired about their consumption of fatty food items, and how many servings of fruit and vegetables they ate each day, how often they snacked, and how frequently they ate breakfast. A healthy breakfast has been shown to have a positive effect on long-term health. Wardle, found that the most stressed ate nearly twice the amount of fatty food as the least stressed group. Overweight students consistently underestimated their actual intake of fatty foods. Asian students ate the best diets, black students the worst, with white children in the middle. Higher socioeconomic status was reflected in healthier eating practices. Wardle concludes that stress appears to be consistently harmful to children in terms of steering their food choices away from the healthy.

Post Views: 217