Not Enough Of The Right Fats Can Make Children Overweight

Swedish scientists have discovered that children can become overweight if they don’t have enough of the right kind of fat in their food. Or, in other words, eating a diet with the right kind of fat in it can stop kids getting overweight.

The findings of the dissertation based at Sahlgrenska Academy at Goteborg University are published online by the Swedish Research Council. The key is in the amount of unsaturated fat that a child consumes.

The study investigated the lifestyle, dietary intake, eating habits and insulin levels of nearly 200 healthy 4 year old children living in Göteborg, Sweden. Very few of the children were from deprived areas.

The scientists measured their weight and height to work out Body Mass Index (BMI). Based on the BMI measures, 23 per cent of the children were overweight and 2 per cent were classed as obese. The researchers say they would expect more overweight and obese children if they had come from a wider socio-economic range.

The results showed a curious correlation between fat intake and BMI. High BMI children were gaining weight because their bodies were storing too much fat. But these children were not the ones consuming the most fat. Children with low or ideal BMI ate more fat than those who had high BMI.

The key is in the amount of unsaturated fat that a child consumes and omega-3 in particular. Omega-3 is found in fatty fish and vegetables.

A third of the children in the group were not eating enough unsaturated fat, and by far the greatest deficiency was the level of omega-3 fat in their diet, according to lead researcher and Dietician Malin Haglund Garemo.

Other studies have also suggested a link between lack of omega-3 and obesity, she said.

Another important discovery was that the highest insulin levels were found in the children who had put on the most weight. Girls in particular showed this tendency, the researchers said. And girls with the lowest insulin levels were the ones who consumed the most unsaturated fat.

The study also found that many of the children were eating unhealthily. 70 per cent of them were deficient in iron, and 20 per cent of them were not getting enough calcium. Their daily intake of fruit and vegetables was only 140 g a day, instead of the recommended daily amount of 400 g.

And over 25 per cent of their daily energy was coming from what might be called “junk” foods such as soft drinks, candy or sweets, cookies, biscuits and ice cream.

The children who watched more than one hour of TV every day also had a higher BMI.

The researchers want to conduct further studies “to see if the early increase in insulin is causing obesity. Such results would go against the common perception that fat causes increased insulin production as a result of insulin resistance,” said Malin Haglund Garemo.

Healthy Eating for Kids (Australian government website).

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today