- Reasons may include spending more time alone, eating junk food
- Children who eat breakfast and dinner with parents are less likely to be fat
- But those who eat lunch with their parents are more likely to be overweight
09:15 EST, 2 June 2014
|
12:03 EST, 2 June 2014
The children of divorced parents are 1.54 times more likely to be overweight that the children of married parents
The children of divorced parents are more likely to be obese.
The Norwegian research showed the children of a divorced couple are 1.54 times more likely to be overweight than children with married parents.
The researchers, who presented their findings at the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, measured the height, weight and waist circumference of 3,166 Norwegian schoolchildren.
They compared the data against their parents’ marital status and concluded that obesity was more common among children whose parents had divorced.
While they did not explain why this trend exists, previous research from Rice University, Texas, suggested this could be because children who live with both parents tend to have more resources available to them.
Children with separated parents may also spend more time alone at home, giving them increased access to junk food and perhaps less chance to exercise.
They added it might also be that single parents have less time to prepare home-cooked meals and instead have to reach for prepackaged dinners or fast foods.
In the new study, the Norwegian researchers also discovered that children who eat breakfast and dinner with their parents are less likely to be overweight than those who don’t.
The researchers studied 8,000 children from eight European countries and found children who ate breakfast with their parents five to seven times a week were 40 per cent less likely to be overweight than those who had breakfast with their parents two to four times or less each week.
Those who also had dinner with their parents five to seven times a week were 30 per cent less likely to be overweight than those who shared less evening meals at home.
Lunch was different, the data showed, with children who regularly had lunch with their parents 20 per cent more likely to be obese.
Children who eat breakfast and dinner with their parents are less likely to be obese than those who don’t. But, children who eat lunch with their parents are more likely to be obese
Further research presented at the European Congress on Obesity revealed that eating just three slices of white bread a day raises a person’s chances of becoming overweight or obese by almost 50 per cent.
The researchers, from the University of Navarra in Spain, tracked the weight of almost 10,000 people for five years.
They
found that those who ate 120g or more of white bread a day were 40 per
cent more likely to pile on the pounds than those who ate 60g a week or
less.
The weight gain seen couldn’t be explained by the white bread lovers having a less healthy diet in general.
Instead, it is thought that lack of satiety-inducing fibre and the high sugar content in it takes its toll on the waistline.
Professor Jason Halford, chairman of the UK Association for the Study of Obesity, said: ‘I would say white bread is a concern because it is generally lower in useful nutrients such as fibre and it can contain added sugar and sometimes contains higher levels of salt.’
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voiceoftruth,
london,
moments ago
Well its good to know what the money I earn is being spent on by my ex wife!
Becky,
North West,
moments ago
Oh shut up DM.
allen23,
manchester, United Kingdom,
6 minutes ago
Fat parent fat child nothing to do with divorce just the same bad eating habits.Fed up of seeing toddlers sat in their pram with sausage rolls or pasties.
Hayley,
Derbyshire,
9 minutes ago
Well, my parents were together and I was normal (have photos to prove it) they divorced, normal life went out the window and 2 years later I was fat! No mum at home to cook proper meals, dad with no idea what to feed us so we lived on tinned burgers or baked beans and angel delight! Its not the divorce its the circumstances that arise from it that cause the problem but I remember it as the most miserable time of my life not due to the divorce but due to the appalling fighting and back biting with us in the middle. Awful!
LB66,
London,
13 minutes ago
I don’t think so.. I’m pretty sure it’s food that makes kids fat.
kyhan,
London, United Kingdom,
14 minutes ago
Eating too much and not exercising makes kids fat
Whatchamacallit,
Toledo, United States,
24 minutes ago
Since kids tend to reside with the Mums, then mums should get off of FB and posting selfies and just cook a meal.
Mary H,
Aylesbury,
40 minutes ago
What a load of rubbish. My 2 kids who are adults now are not fat never were ! ! I divorced my husband took great care of my kids. They are brilliant to me.
SarainPrinceton,
New Jersey, US,
42 minutes ago
“Less evening meals� No. It’s FEWER.
sandra richter,
jackson hole, United States,
56 minutes ago
It infuriates me to see grocery carts full of junk food in families (well, any family) with fat children. How cruel to make them fat and fail to teach them to take care of themselves.
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