Obesity: junk food is not only responsible

Food fast food is far from being the major cause of the rapid rise in obesity in children and adolescents. For years, they pointed to this kind of food in the obesity epidemic. But this is only the tip of a more general problem: the poor nutritional habits of young people throughout the day, "learned" at home but also relayed by some university canteens or restaurants. This is one of the results of a study conducted by scientists at the University of North Carolina, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .

The researchers used the results of a U.S. national study conducted between 2007 and 2010, including 4466 children and adolescents aged 2-18 years. Their food intake was listed, both in terms of in terms of calories and drinks from food, fast food establishments or other. The children were able to be classified into three categories: those 50% who did not eat fast food, those 40% who were low consumers of this type of food, that is to say, it gave them less than 30% of calories ingested, and those 10%, which were major consumers of fast food, the latter giving them more than 30% of calories from their meals. This allowed researchers to determine what were the most critical factors in the relationship between diet and the risk of obesity.

Conclusion: if eating fast food in large quantities is not recommended, this factor is only a small part of a general picture of poor eating habits, with insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables while conversely , so-called "industrial" foods and sugary drinks are the majority.

Parents who cook less

"This is what really determines obesity in children and adolescents, says Professor Barry Popkin, who led the study. Eating at fast food is just one of the behaviors that result from poor feeding habits. The fact that children who eat a lot of fast food are actually more at risk of becoming obese does not prove that it is the calories from these meals should bear the largest share of responsibility. "

Professor Popkin, who said he might not be a fan of fast food, says, "maybe, children who eat fast food do so because their parents do not have the desire or time to cook fresh and healthy home products. "