Children gain weight by watching commercials
Despite the evidence, some information must be confirmed by scientific studies to hear and accept it. This is the case here of compulsive over-nutrition, mainly when it manifests itselfin front of the TV, slumped on his couch. The information in question is relayed by publication. It relates to two scientific studies that deal with the relationship between TV abuse and overeating. And all audiences are reached: adults and children alike.
Adults getting fat in front of the TV
Already in 2009, scientists in Burlington(1) had analyzed the behavior of TV users. No less than three, and sometimes even five hours a day, are devoted to this entertainment. But it costs them dearly because by doing so they remain sedentary and gain weight visibly, in an insidious way.
On 36 adults concerned by the study, having BMI (Body Mass Index, also do the test here) that were between 25 and 50 (that is to say overweight or obese individuals), it was shown that a decrease in the time spent in front of the television inevitably caused an increase in caloric expenditure because adults then indulged in “more sporty” hobbies.
The study in question was then relayed in the journal “Archives of internal medicine”. The article explains in its lines thatpeople who halved the time spent in front of the televisionwere able to expend about 120 extra calories per day by becoming more active. Thus, the less time individuals spend in front of the television and, logically, the more they occupy this time to practicemore physical activities and sports. This healthy habit was established by the participants themselves who took the test. In less than three weeks a new way of behaving was acquired.
At this stage, it should still be noted that the study was taking place in the United States. Watching television is, in the United States, the third activity practiced (the first two being work and sleep).
Children gain weight by watching commercials
In January 2016, it was at Yale University(2) that scientists highlighted the fact that advertising that deals with food stronglyinfluences the eating behaviorof all, especially children and adolescents.
In addition, the team of scientists also discovered that visual stimulations such as television commercials, inserts within magazines … had much more impact on our behaviors than odorous stimuli. In fact, the effect is, more or less, the equivalent of exposure to real culinary dishes.
For Hedy Kober, one of the co-authors of the scientific study, the ads are so harmful that they contribute to an undeniable and inevitable weight gain in young children. The journal “Obesity Reviews” is not its first article on this phenomenon since in 2014 research conducted in Sweden had already focused on the consumption of sodas in children. The results of this study were edifying: for every hour spent in front of the television, it is50% more probabilitythat these sugary and caloric drinks will be ingested by the youngest.
From there to conclude that cookies, cakes, pizzas, crisps and snacks sit right next to sodas… there is only one easy step to take.
Perhaps this information will enable adults to become aware of their own sedentary lifestyle in front of the small screen and, even more so, that of their children, in order to limit its use, which is more so in terms of advertising. Nothing positive and constructive can come out of it. Each of us must realize that television, this object of entertainment, must be used conscientiously because it can potentially harm children.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.