According to a study in England, British children are getting fat when they eat junk food and watch excessive amounts of television. Though I have a hard time believing it, the article claims that nobody has ever directly linked the two activities together scientifically. the other gem of wisdom uncovered is that TV watching will actually encourage children to eat junk food - another bit of information I thought was a no-brainer, having grown up in the country that invented the Happy Meal.

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.

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