Kids Consuming Junk Food May Double Adult Obesity Rate: Study

Consumption of junk food can lead to uncountable health hazards, especially in kids. The obesity endemic amongst kids is getting worse, and the big question is, do overweight kids grow up to be obese adults? According to a New England Journal of Medicine report, obesity in childhood greatly increases your odds of being obese later in life. Obesity is becoming an epidemic and unhealthy lifestyle habits of youngsters are making them the biggest victims of lifestyle diseases resulting in rising incidence of juvenile obesity.

Based on data from five national studies, researchers projected that today's kids may double, possibly triple the current adult rate of 30 percent. In simulation models, researchers found kids between the age of 2 to 19 who were obese had a 57 percent chance of being obese at the age of 35.

Some of the reasons of obesity may include consuming large portion sizes, sleeping disorders and bad eating habits that cause other mental problems. Large intake of low nutrition but high-calorie foods, high frequency of eating out and large portion sizes are unhealthy lifestyle choices that are being made by teenagers today. Experts revealed that these poor eating habits may manifest into eating disorders. Peer pressure, social media obsession, advertising, academic stress and mood swings make up for the factors of choosing junk over healthy food.

Youngsters today are mostly night owls and sleep less often, which makes them resort to midnight binging. It is very difficult to digest food at night as metabolism slows down, which is why it becomes impossible to burn calories. This results in becoming lethargic and dull during the day.

Bad eating habits can cause sleeping disorders, depression, anxiety and hormonal imbalance. Therefore, it is imperative to keep a check on kids' eating habits and restrict them from having junk as much as possible.