Good Nutrition Advice

LATEST research suggests physical activity plays little or no role in child obesity. Obesity is a key factor in diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK have been following school children in the city for the last 11 years. It is well known that less active children tend to be fatter, however that does not necessarily mean -- as most people think -- that inactivity leads to fatness. It could equally well be the other way round: that obesity leads to inactivity.

As data was collected annually over several years from a large range of children, the study could finally ask the question -- which comes first? Does the physical activity of the child precede changes in fatness over time, or does the fatness of the child precede changes in physical activity over time?

And the answer, published recently in Archives of Disease in Childhood, was clear. Physical activity had no impact on weight change, but weight clearly led to less activity. While portion size, calorie-dense snacks and sugary drinks are all important factors in handling obesity, early feeding errors seem particularly crucial -- and physical activity is not the answer.