There is a strong link between the amount of fast food that pre-school age children consume (2-5 years), and their likelihood of becoming overweight or obese, says a study published in the journal ‘Pediatric Obesity’. The researchers found that at the beginning of the study, about 18% of the children were overweight and nearly 10% were obese. Importantly, about 8% of children transitioned to a greater weight status over the one-year period. Says researcher Jennifer Emond, “We now know from our studies and others, that kids who start on the path of extra weight gain during this really important timeframe tend to carry it forward into adolescence and adulthood, and this sets them up for major health consequences as they get older. To our knowledge, ours is the first study to follow a cohort over time and to show that fast food, by itself, uniquely contributes to weight gain.”
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