The British Journal of Nutrition has printed a paper claiming there is no link between obesity in children and eating a meal after 8 pm. Kings College London researchers were able to study the recorded eating patterns of 768 4-10-year-olds and 852 11-18-year-olds using data from 2008-2012 and known as the UKs National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme. Parents kept a daily food record for four days and also recorded height and weight.
The data showed that it was as likely children would be obese if they ate between 2 pm and 8 pm or 8 pm and 10 pm and this was in both age groups. Dr. Gerde Pot based in Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit is the lead author said that the findings came as a surprise. There had been the expectation that the later in the evening a child ate, the more likely it would be that they were obese. There were concerns the figures may have been affected by the fact that few children ate late in the evening.
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A higher amount of protein was eaten by boys aged 4-10 who ate later on, and when it came to carbohydrates, it was girls aged 11-18, who ate later on in the evening who took in less.
It could be that the records are not entirely accurate, and issues such as not eating breakfast, little exercise and the amount of sleep were not taken into account. It is being suggested that there is not enough evidence to say what or when children should eat.
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