Recent study findings from the University of Minnesota have revealed that teens who try to control their weight through unhealthy means, such as skipping meals and using laxatives, actually end up gaining weight later in life.
Researchers examined the effects of unhealthy weight loss in a five year study involving more than 2500 teens.
A survey issued to the study participants in 1999 found that 57 percent of the females and 25 percent of the males dieted. Almost 60 percent of the females and 30 percent of the males reported skipping meals, using laxatives or engaging in other unhealthy weight control measures.
By 2004, 27 percent of the females and 25 percent of the males were overweight. Teens that used unhealthy methods of weight control on 1999 were about three times as likely to be overweight in 2004 compared to those who did not use any weight control methods.
These latest findings suggest teens should be encouraged to engage in healthy eating and exercise behaviours to control body weight.
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