Parents should not restrict their children to low-fat diets despite concerns about obesity, experts have said.


A new study, published in the Nutrition Journal, says fat can be included as part of a healthy and balanced diet and has an important role in helping youngsters grow.

It comes a day after pregnant women were warned that upping their intake of fatty and sugary food could put their child at risk of obesity.
Today's research found that children burn more body fat than adults for each calorie used up.

A US team, led by John Kostyak from Pennsylvania State University, compared ten children aged six to 10-years-old and 10 adults.
The team found that the total amount of fat burned by children did not differ greatly to that burned by adults.

However, the children were found to burn considerably more fat relative to the amount of energy they used.

According to the Foods Standards Agency in the UK, growing children should be given a balanced diet.

It recommends a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and starchy foods and says children need a lot more energy and nutrients for their body size than adults.

Tam Fry, board member of the National Obesity Forum and chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, said of today's study: "I think this research is absolutely right.

"Young children need more fat and energy for the whole purpose of growing up and living. Therefore to give them low fat and sugar-free products is a bad idea.

"Certainly right through primary school, children should be given straightforward wholesome food, not the kind of fancy foods that adults like.

"By that I mean vegetables, bread, fibre, and carbohydrates, without any sort of manipulation to make it 50% less fatty and that sort of thing."

This is why i never listen to the scientist. One day they say something is bad for you the next its good.

Its just like this Global Warming nonsense, give it a year and they will say its not is that are contributing to it, but its natural, you watch!

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