According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the rate ofobesity in children and adolescents around the world rose from less than 1% (equivalent to 5 million girls and 6 million boys) in 1975 to almost 6% among girls (50 million) and almost 8% among boys (74 million) in 2016. The lack of physical activity is often singled out as the main factor behind this overweight in teens. Corn a new study from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) suggests that skipping breakfast is the major factor in weight gain.
Too fatty and too sweet snacks
This study involved 991 Brazilian adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18. It was supplemented by data from a European study involving 3,528 adolescents from 10 major European cities. “We found that the fact of skip breakfast was associated with markers of adiposity in adolescents, regardless of where they live and how much they sleep, whether they are boys or girls, ”say the researchers.
In boys who skipped breakfast, the average waist circumference was 2.61 cm wider in Europe and 2.13 cm wider in Brazil compared to boys who usually ate breakfast. “No doubt because they compensate for this lack of breakfast by throwing themselves on sweeter snacks or more fat with low nutritional value on the way to school “.
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