Study ties binging to kids' dieting

By Nanci Hellmich
USA Today

Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed 8,203 girls and 6,769 boys, ages 9 to 14, for three years. They tracked kids' eating and exercise habits using questionnaires and discovered that excess weight gain is more common in those who diet than those who don't.

The researchers found that 25 percent of the girls and 14 percent of the boys were occasional dieters, and 5 percent of girls and 2 percent of boys were frequent dieters. When they adjusted for factors such as growth, watching TV frequently and not being physically active, they found:

• Girls who were frequent dieters gained an average of about 1.7 pounds a year more than those who never dieted.
• Girls who were occasional dieters gained about 1.3 pounds a year more than those who didn't diet.
• Boys who were either frequent or occasional dieters gained about 2.2 pounds more than nondieters.
• Girls who were frequent dieters were 12 times more likely to binge on foods than girls who didn't diet.
• Boys who were frequent dieters were seven times more likely to binge than nondieters.

Kids who diet may be overeating or binging on foods they've denied themselves, which leads to the weight gain, says Alison Field, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, whose study is in the October issue of Pediatrics.

Children who have a few pounds to lose or want to control their weight should aim for small changes that can be maintained — limiting supersize portions, switching from 2 percent milk to skim, and drinking less soda. If they are overweight, they should work with a medical or nutrition professional, she says.