Experts call for tougher guidelines on portion sizes amid obesity time bomb

June 7, 2016

Eaten day after day, it adds up to two whole days’ worth of food a month
University College London researchers said effects could be substantial
The study comes amid concern that the UK is facing an obesity timebomb
Nearly a quarter of British children already overweight by the age of three

Fiona Macrae Science Editor In Gothenburg For The Daily Mail

Published:
18:20 EST, 3 June 2016

|
Updated:
19:57 EST, 3 June 2016

View
comments

Just one extra spoonful per meal is enough to make toddlers pile on the pounds, British scientists have warned.

Despite being such a small amount, eaten day after day, it adds up to two whole days’ worth of food a month.

University College London researchers said that over time, the effects could be substantial and called for clearer guidelines on portion sizes.

University College London researchers said that over time, the effects of one extra spoonful per day could be substantial and called for clearer guidelines on portion sizes

Playing hard to get! Princess Leonore of Sweden is…

Iowa woman who gave birth in a hospital bathroom and left…
‘I wanted to make sure that my child actually arrived’:…

The study comes amid concern that the UK is facing an obesity timebomb. British children are among the fattest in Europe, with nearly a quarter already overweight by the age of three and the average five-year-old eats their own weight in sugar each year.

The researchers analysed food diaries kept by the parents of 2,564 British children aged between four and 18 months. They found overweight babies and toddlers weren’t given any more snacks than their leaner counterparts. Nor were they eating different food.

However, their meals were ever so slightly bigger. The typical meal eaten by an overweight child contained an average of 141 calories. This was 11 calories more than the amount eaten by their thinner counterparts – roughly the equivalent of an extra spoonful of baked beans.

Researcher Hayley Syrad calculated that every 24 extra calories consumed per meal raised the child’s odds of being overweight or obese by 9 per cent

Researcher Hayley Syrad calculated that every 24 extra calories consumed per meal raised the child’s odds of being overweight or obese by 9 per cent. She said: ‘There is a perception that is if a toddler is a bit chubby and has a good appetite, that’s a very good thing.

‘But we know weight tracks into later life, so it is very important to intervene early, even at four months of age.’

Professor Neena Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said simple ways to cut calories include giving children water instead of sugary drinks and not telling them to clear their plate when it is obvious they are full.