Is there a difference between toddlers who prefer sweet or savory snacks? According to a new study, there is. Those who prefer cookies over chips are at risk of experiencing weight gain, possibly even growing to an unhealthy weight.

For the study, researchers asked mothers of 209 children to have the toddler fast for one hour. Then, the child would be given a large lunch and after, a tray of snacks both sweet and salty. The children could eat as much as they wanted.

According to Julie C. Lumeng, a behavioral pediatrician and the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and a researcher in the study, “eating in the absence of hunger is associated with being overweight among older children.”

However, this is the first study that studies the link between overeating and younger children. Toddlers who preferred sweet foods after already eating a substantial meal were found to be at a greater risk of weight gain.

Researchers discovered that the children between 1 and 3 years of age who ate more desserts on a full belly and who became visibly upset when the food was removed, were also the children to experience gradual gain in body fat by the time they were 33 months old.

The team was surprised by these findings, seeing that those who preferred chips and other salty treats did not experience the same increase in body fat.

Lumeng explained that the tendency to eat even when you’re no longer hungry only becomes more of a problem with age, sometimes leading to lifelong complications regarding weight gain.

According to this study, medical researchers need to find ways to suppress this drive to eat before children turn 3 years old.

The findings are also relevant to parents because it helps them regulate food intake for healthy growth in their toddlers.

It’s easier to prevent a lifelong struggle with being overweight by making sure the child avoids the concerning treats than letting the child deal with it when he or she grows up.

Moreover, the study published in the journal Pediatrics, April edition, also shows that there’s a previously unknown connection between sweet treats and obesity, a drive to eat more that researchers should investigate further.

The team hopes to find whether or not there are ways to treat this particular compulsion, which could mean conducting a follow-up study.
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