1er February 2007 – Eating junk food is not so bad for the waistline, many say to be guilty. They would be wrong to think so, according to American researchers1. On the contrary, junk food leads to extra weight.
Based on data from an epidemiological study2, a team of American researchers compared the evolution of the body mass index3 (BMI) of 3,394 young adults aged 18 to 30 who frequented fast food and classic restaurants.
For example, eating at a fast food restaurant at least once a week resulted in an increase in BMI of 0.13 after seven years, or 0.42 kilograms more for a 1.77 person. mr. After ten years, the BMI had increased by 0.24 (0.77 kilograms). As for meals eaten outside, but elsewhere than in fast food chains, the study found no association with BMI.
During this study, 40% of participants increased their weekly consumption of meals taken out, either in restaurants or in fast food chains. The increase in the number of meals eaten in fast food restaurants is associated with a 0.16 increase in BMI in grades 7 through 10.
According to the researchers, obesity problems are more related to eating a lot of junk food than to eating out more often. They recognize, however, that other important criteria, including socio-economic factors, must be taken into account in finding solutions to the problem of obesity.
Claudia Morissette – PassepotSanté.net
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1. Duffey, KJ, Gordon-Larsen P et al. Differential associations of fast food and restaurant food consumption with 3-y change in body mass index: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan; 85 (1): 201-8.
2. Body mass index relates height to weight. It is used to determine whether a person is at a healthy weight or, on the contrary, is under or over weight.
3. The data are taken from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, a study that examines the development of heart disease in adults. It started in 1986 with a group of 5,115 young adults, men and women, black and white, between the ages of 18 and 30. They were asked to participate in reviews over a period of 20 years.
