Education about 'healthy eating' and the importance of activity has no effect on childhood obesity, finds a new intervention study published in The British Medical Journal.
When the researchers followed up the children 15 months and 30 months after it started, they found no statistically significant reductions in BMI (body mass index) and no improvements in energy expenditure, body fat measurements or activity levels - compared with those not taking part.
Although childhood obesity is a complex issue, I can't help wondering if the program failed because the advice used doesn't work. Eating a "healthy" high-carb diet and trying to exercise more is the advice we've had all the way through the obesity epidemic, and studies repeatedly show that it does not really work.
A low-carb diet is more effective. So why not just accept it, and start using this knowledge?
BBC News: Anti-obesity programmes in primary schools 'don't work'
