The source: The American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, 2005

The study: A survey of 621 children in the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th grades was conducted to determine their eating habits—particularly the number of meals they eat in restaurants—and see what connections could be drawn their overall health. As it turned out, there were plenty. Children who ate out four or more times weekly (not counting the school cafeteria) had higher blood pressure; lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (the so-called good cholesterol); smaller and thus more dangerous particles of low-density lipoprotein (the bad cholesterol); and lower insulin sensitivity, an early warning sign of diabetes. Moreover, the restaurant eaters drank considerably more soda or other sugared drinks than the eat-at-home group—six cups per week compared to 3.65 cups. They also tended to be less active, spending 3.59 hours per day watching TV or engaging in other sedentary activities, compared to 2.78 hours.

What it means: On its surface, the study seems pretty conclusive. American portion sizes have exploded, and people who go to a lot of restaurants do tend to eat more, simply because greater quantities of food are piled up in front of them. What’s more, in the home you can be careful about how you prepare a meal, while restaurants tend to ladle on the oils and fats. But the findings are hardly airtight: For one thing, the 621-child sample group is a small one. What’s more, even five or six meals outside the home each week is still less than a third of all meals consumed in a seven-day stretch. Finally, the study did not include take-out meals eaten at home—a significant omission, since those are often as fat- and calorie-dense as restaurant meals. The study is best seen as an early warning flag: Make eating out a treat for your kids, order sensibly when you do go out and don’t be afraid of the doggie bag.

From our archive:
08/15/2005  The Mental Diet