SAN ANTONIO—A study found that obese children from poor families often don’t eat enough to meet the daily nutritional requirements needed for cell function and metabolism.
In a study of 1,400 inner-city children, 44 percent were consuming fewer than 1,400 calories, and 33 percent were obese, said the nonprofit Social and Health Research Center that conducted the research.
Center Director Roberto Trevino, MD, said, “The study shows these kids were not eating enough, and when they did eat, it was all the wrong things."
Missing from the children's diets were four key nutrients—calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. Magnesium helps spur metabolism and can predispose an individual to diabetes when missing from a diet, he said.