FMUP study links emotional eating in children to health risks

Children aged between seven and 13 who have what is described as an "emotional eating pattern" - eating in response to emotions and showing a ravenous appetite - may be at risk of health problems, according to findings presented by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP).

Emotional eating and cardiometabolic health in children

FMUP said in a statement sent to newsrooms that, by early adolescence, these children have higher blood triglyceride levels, raised blood pressure, insulin resistance and a larger waist circumference.

The study aimed to "analyse the impact of environmental factors and family habits on the trajectories of eating behaviours among children and adolescents aged between seven and 13, linking them to factors such as socioeconomic circumstances, mothers' habits during pregnancy and body mass index", the statement said.

"We demonstrated that the determinants of the food environment are associated with appetite and affect cardiometabolic health," said Alexandra Costa, who holds a PhD in Public Health from FMUP and is the study's lead author, as quoted in the statement.

According to the researcher, "by the age of 13, there is already a major difference in children's cardiometabolic indicators depending on their eating behaviours. The group with the most ravenous appetite has worse markers than the other groups."

Costa stressed that children with an "uncontrolled" appetite are more likely to develop problems such as obesity and diabetes in adulthood.

Ravenous appetite, low appetite and family circumstances

The FMUP research identified two extreme eating-behaviour profiles: ravenous appetite and low appetite. "Ravenous, more voracious appetite, which involves greater food intake, is linked to disadvantaged socioeconomic factors, younger mothers and mothers with higher weight. In addition, this profile tends to be more common in cases of food insecurity and adverse childhood experiences. These children eat more of every type of food, including healthier options," the statement said.

"Many parents believe that it is a good sign when their children are very hungry and eat a lot, and they are unaware of the health consequences, which go beyond being overweight and obesity," the researcher noted.

Children with a lower appetite, meanwhile, showed "a low emotional response to food, better regulation of food intake, as well as healthier dietary patterns, and were characterised by more favourable socioeconomic factors, namely mothers with higher levels of education and lower weight".

Costa also highlighted, according to the statement, that responsibility does not lie solely with parents and families, arguing that schools and food marketing must be involved. "Socioeconomic and environmental determinants can only be changed through wide-ranging policies. We should raise awareness among parents and families about regulating food portions and, at the opposite extreme, about the need to offer a variety of healthy foods repeatedly," the FMUP researcher said.