MedicMagic.Net

It is said that  maintaining healthy eating habits is a key to preventing obesity. It is often expressed in various studies. But now a new study conducted by the Institute of Food Science and Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) points to the fact that is a step further.

The research institute showed that certain healthy habits like eating schedule more than four times during a day or eating too fast can be associated with body fat levels that are lower than exercise habit at leisure time.

The fat content of the data obtained by taking the sum of six skinfold and waist circumference of 1,978 adolescents (1,017 females) aged between 13-18 years old from five cities in Spain (Granada, Madrid, Murcia, Santander and Zaragoza). The role of physical activity during leisure time on levels of fat were also assessed in this study.

“To clarify the effect of dietary habits on obesity, it is important for us to learn it together with other lifestyle such as physical activity,” said research team leader Sonia Martínez Gomez, a researcher at the Department of Metabolism and Nutrition ICTAN.

Boys are generally higher, have greater weight, larger waist circumference and eat more quickly. However, according to the research the accumulation of fat is lower.

Moreover, in the study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers also observed that eating breakfast every day is very beneficial for young men who do not exercise at all. This is because young men who often skip breakfast shows higher body fat content.

“The results show that 1 in 4 teenage girls and 1 in 3 teenage boys in Spain are overweight or obese,” said Gomez Martinez according to newkerala. However, only 18.5 percent of teenage boys who do not do any sports, in contrast to adolescent girls which reaches 48.5 percent.

Sexual maturity and increased body size and weight does determine the nutritional needs of adolescents. This need will grow to 20 percent of his height as an adult and 50 percent of the muscle and bone mass during puberty.

The process requires high energy and nutrients so that the diet should be designed to meet these requirements. Among them, is the fulfillment of  the three most important minerals for teenagers, namely calcium, iron and zinc.

Calcium is essential for bone growth, while iron is useful for maintaining a network of hematology (red blood cells) and muscle tissue growth. Finally, zinc contributes to the growth of bones and muscles as well as hair and nails.