HHS HealthBeat (March 21, 2007)

Skipping and snacking

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

OK, teens: You saw how adults get fatter? Wondered what could happen to you? A researcher has a clue.

Heather Niemeier of the Miriam Hospital and Brown Medical Center in Rhode Island says people often get heavier when they cross from adolescence into young adulthood:

"The more fast food a person ate as a teen-ager, the more weight they gained by the time they were in young adulthood. And the same was true for skipping breakfast." (7 seconds)

Niemeier's look at data on more than 20,000 teen-agers' eating patterns was supported by the National Institutes of Health. It's in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Why the gains? Niemeier thinks teens turning into adults may think breakfast takes too long. And fast food is – well – fast. And although Mom or Dad doesn't cook it, at least the teens don't have to.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April, 06 2007