Obese and overweight children eat more than twice as much after watching food ads on television, according to a university study in the UK.

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Researchers at the University of Liverpool monitored 60 children of varying weights, aged between nine and 11-years-old, who watched a series of food and toy adverts followed by a cartoon.


Food intake following the food adverts was significantly higher compared with the toy adverts in all weight groups. The obese children increased their consumption by 134%; overweight children by 101% and normal weight children by 84%.


Researchers also found that weight dictated food preference during the experiment. Foods of differing fat content were made available to the children to eat at their own will, ranging from high-fat sweet snacks to low-fat savoury products. The obese group consistently chose the chocolate – the highest fat product. The overweight children chose jelly sweets that have a lower fat content, as well as chocolate.

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