Exercise ‘does not make obese children slim’

It seems that it was Jamie Oliver, rather than the PE teachers, who had the right idea.

Apparently, exercise is not really beneficial for obese children - rather, a healthy diet would be the better plan.

So, should we lock our kids inside at breaktimes? Feed them fruit instead of encouraging them to run around with a football?

Well, sort of. Exercise has no noticeable effect on weightloss, whereas giving your kids a banana rather than a packet of crisps in their lunchboxes just might.

Researchers studied 300 children over five years, and concluded that the government should be focusing on healthy eating rather than fitness initiatives.

It seems that being overweight influences activity more than activity influences being overweight - try getting your head around that one.

The leader of the research from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, Brad Metcalf, explained:

Our explanation is that fat kids are inactive because they are fat and not fat because they are inactive. They find it hard to exercise because they run out of breath, and so they don’t. It is getting them to make sure they do not acquire fats through other means in the first place. They will lose more weight through healthy, lifelong changes to their diet than physical activity.

So just remember: bananas, not badminton. Carrots, not croquet…

Source: The Telegraph