Adolescent girls may experience unhealthy levels
7/18/2008
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Adolescent girls may experience unhealthy levels of weight gain as they grow. However, reasons for this are not always clear, and many potential causes are easily overlooked. A study in The Journal of Pediatrics, examines the effects of Internet usage, sleep, and alcohol and coffee consumption on weight gain in girls.
Researchers surveyed more than five-thousand girls, between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one from across the U.S. They asked about the girls’ weekly habits regarding hours of sleep per night, time spent on the Internet unrelated to work or school, number of alcoholic beverages consumed, and number of coffee beverages consumed. The girls reported their height and weight at the beginning and end of the year-long study.
Researchers found that more recreational time spent on the Internet, increased alcohol consumption, and less sleep resulted in extra weight gain. Girls, aged eighteen or older, who consumed two or more alcoholic beverages a week or slept less than six hours a night gained more weight than other participants. When combined with Internet use, girls in this group have the potential to gain four extra pounds a year.
The researchers did not find a link between coffee consumption and weight gain. They did point out that this information was collected before high calorie coffee drinks became popular.
To help maintain a healthy body weight, adolescent girls are encouraged to replace Internet time with more sleep and avoid alcoholic beverage consumption.