Diet & Adolescent Obesity Project

Our CDC funded Diet and Adolescent Obesity Project focused on
understanding how dietary patterns are related to weight gain and
the development of obesity. Findings from the data collected on
16,882 adolescents in an ongoing prospective cohort study
(the Growing Up Today Study) include the following:

• We have found that adolescents who drink many sweetened
  beverages (such as sodas and punch) gain more weight than
  adolescents who rarely or never drink sweetened drinks. Our
  study suggested that the calories in these beverages are
  responsible for the weight gains, and overweight children who
  decrease their intakes of sugar-added beverages may lose
  weight.
• We have not found a relationship between intake of
  fruits, fruit juice, or vegetables and weight gain. Our results
  suggest that the recommendation for eating of fruits and
  vegetables may be well founded, but not based on a
  beneficial effect of weight regulation.
• We have found that girls and boys who diet to control their
  weight are more likely to binge eat and gain weight. Although
  medically supervised diets may be helpful and appropriate for
  overweight youth, our data suggest that for many adolescents
  dieting to control weight is not only ineffective, it may actually
  promote weight gain.
• Normal weight boys and girls who never eat breakfast tend to
  gain more weight than those who eat breakfast nearly every
  day. However, overweight children tend to lose weight by
  skipping breakfast. For all children, skipping breakfast lead to
  poorer academic performance, so children should be
  encouraged to eat breakfast.

For more information on the Growing Up Today Study, please click
here.

Principal Investigator: Graham Colditz, MD
Funder: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Funding Dates: October 1, 2000 - September 30, 2003