Diet Food Could Increase Risk of Obesity

Diet foods for kids could inadvertently trigger overeating and obesity .
This is the latest finding of researchers who tested lowe calorie versions of food on young rats, who were induced to overeat.
The researchers consider that low calorie alternatives of normally high calorie foods disrupt the body’s ability to utilise taste for regulation of calorific intake.
The University of Alberta study has been published in the journal Obesity.
Diet foods are not considered to be appropriate for growing youngsters
Study leader stated that given the research undertaken, it is better for children to eat healthy, well-balanced diets with adequate calories for everyday activities than low calorie meals or snacks.
The researchers found that young rats given low-calorie foods began to overeat during their regular meals.
However, older, adolescent rats also fed diet foods did not show the same tendency to overeat.
The researchers believe the older rats did not overeat as they, as opposed to younger rats, were able to depend on various taste-related cues to accurately assess the energy value of their food.