Could this be why we’re fat?

(via boingboing)

A new US study shows that kids eat calories equivalent to one bag of chips for every hour of television watched.

Children consume nearly as many calories as are in a packet of crisps with every hour they spend watching television, according to US research.

Watching TV also encourages children to eat more junk foods, particularly soft drinks and takeaway fast food, the researchers found.

The study is the first to demonstrate that watching television directly influences intake of calories. Its main author, Jean Wiecha, said the survey showed that excessive TV viewing was in itself a health risk.

[tags]American obesity[/tags]