A recent study from Cardiff University suggests that children who snack throughout the day instead of sticking to regular mealtimes may experience stunted growth. The research, led by Dr. Tim Wells, examines how the shift from structured meals to grazing could disrupt the hormones responsible for growth.
The study investigates the impact of continuous snacking, known as grazing, compared to traditional meal feeding on two key hormones: growth hormone and ghrelin. These hormones play a crucial role in growth, with ghrelin, often referred to as the “hunger hormone,” stimulating the release of growth hormone, which is essential for childhood development and the maintenance of body tissues.
Dr. Wells explains, “Given the contemporary shift from regular meals at breakfast, lunch, and dinner to more frequent snacking, we wanted to understand how this change could affect growth.”
To assess the effects, researchers observed how different feeding patterns influenced growth in mice and rats. By examining changes in hormone levels and the width of the growth plates in bones, the study found that meal-fed animals exhibited accelerated skeletal growth compared to those that grazed. In mice genetically modified to lack ghrelin receptors, the growth differences between grazing and meal-feeding were reversed.
“Growth in grazing rats was significantly slower,” explained Dr. Amanda Hornsby, principal researcher on the project. “We observed that growth hormone levels were tripled in meal-fed rats, with two additional bursts of growth hormone released per day.”
The study also included a human component, measuring hormone levels in volunteers who were fed through nasogastric tubes. The results showed that continuous feeding led to persistently high levels of ghrelin, which in turn maintained elevated growth hormone levels. However, this continuous exposure to ghrelin lacked the rhythmic bursts required for optimal growth. When volunteers were fed in separate meals, ghrelin levels decreased after each meal, allowing for the natural bursts of growth hormone necessary for development.
Dr. Wells added, “For growth to be effective, growth hormone levels need to follow a natural rhythm. Continuous feeding fails to replicate this pattern, which may impede growth, despite adequate nutrition.”
This study, which was conducted exclusively with male rats, mice, and human volunteers, underscores the importance of structured mealtimes for promoting healthy growth in children. While the findings have broad implications for pediatric nutrition, further research is needed to explore how these feeding patterns might affect growth in females.
In conclusion, the research suggests that structured mealtimes are critical for fostering healthy growth, and the trend towards continuous snacking could be detrimental to children’s development.
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