Fast food finagling

By Kathy Summers

Ever notice how some teens gain weight on fast food, but others don’t? Teens often overeat when served fast food, but lean teens tend to compensate for the over-consumption by eating less at other meals, according to a study reported in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 16, 2004).

Super-sized portions of high-calorie, sugary, high-starch, low-fiber food is hard to resist. So, like the 75 percent of adolescents who eat fast food one or more times per week, most teens in the study overate the fast food regardless of body weight, say researchers from Children’s Hospital in Boston. But the overweight teens were less likely to compensate for the calories by adjusting energy intake throughout the day. No one recommends a fast-food diet. But if you occasionally indulge, do it like a lean teen: If you eat more now, eat less later.