Eating a Lot of Snacks Is Linked to Obesity

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Forslund HB, Torgerson JS, Sjostrom L, et al.: Snacking frequency in relation to energy intake and food choices in obese men and women compared to a reference population. International Journal of Obesity 29:711–719, 2005.

What is the problem, and what is known about it so far?

Researchers are trying to figure out whether people who eat a lot of snacks will become overweight or obese. Some studies show that snacking or eating many small meals helps people keep their weight down. But other studies suggest this doesn't work. Plus, whether a person gains weight depends on what he or she snacks on.

The researchers believe that people who are obese don't snack the same as people of normal weight.

Who was studied?

Researchers studied 4,259 people who were taking part in a study of a weight-loss drug. The research took place at 22 medical centers in Sweden. For comparison, researchers also studied 1,092 people who were not in the drug study.

How was the study done?

All of the people being studied had a physical exam and took blood tests. They also filled out survey questions about their eating and snacking habits and what they did for exercise. From that information, researchers figured out how many calories each person ate each day.

What did the researchers find?

The obese people ate an average of six times a day, while the non-obese people ate an average of five times a day. Obese people ate more snacks, and women had more snacks than men.

The obese people tended to snack on cakes, cookies, candies, chocolate, and desserts. Normal-weight people ate more healthy snacks. In addition, the people who were obese exercised less than normal-weight people.

What are the limitations of the study?

Information about snacking and physical activity was based on the surveys people filled out. They may not have remembered this information correctly. Also, the obese people in the study were all volunteers who wanted to lose weight. So they may have made eating and exercise decisions that other obese people would not make.

What are the implications of the study?

Snacking is an important way for people to get calories and energy throughout the day. However, people watching their weight should think about both the type of snacks they choose and how often they snack.