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Videogames give kids the munchies

Super eatboy

Cloud based data management

Studies show that gamers who spend longer playing videogames tend to have a higher rate of obesity than more casual players. In fact, most gamers are fat and miserable. Apparently. But while an unhealthy Fifa 11 habit could be a rational explanation for a child's lack of exercise, several researchers now suggest gaming has a direct link to spontaneous food intake too.

Boffins took a group of healthy, average-sized teens and subjected them to a crossover intervention trial of two 1one-hour periods. Students rested in one period and played a sporty videogame in the other. Both periods occurred at 10.30am on separate days, following an overnight fast and a standardised 8am breakfast.

The report, Video game playing increases food intake in adolescents: a randomized crossover study, took blood samples every ten minutues and examined energy expenditure using indirect calorimetry. Each student was then offered a full spaghetti lunch, where food intake was assessed, along with hunger, satiety, fullness and appetite.

Spaghetti function

While subjects all reported similar appetite ratings regardless of the test conditions, medical examinations show a different story. Levels of glucose in the bloodstream increased more when playing videogames and energy expenditure was also higher. Subjects did eat 80kCal more after playing games though, so ended up with more overall energy during the day.

The researchers reckon this is preliminary evidence that male teens playing videogames for an hour, munch more calories in the short term than they do after resting for an hour. This occurs without any perceived increase in appetite.

The authors concluded more studies are needed though, to determine the long-term effects on weight gain and health, as well as the effect different genres such as violent or educational games have on a subject's desire to stuff themselves. ®


Does the opposite for me

When I'm playing video games I forget to eat...


In fairness

It's not actually the statistics they've made up, it's just a lack of dilligence and rigor presented in a certain way. As I said above, 80 calories is balls all, even 80 calories per hour of gaming is close to balls all. If it was the other way round and the story was "Video games help annorexics gain weight" it'd not get reported. Maths and statistics don't lie, but PR guys do.


I couldn't agree more.

Why they keep giving money to all these researchers trying to do science and stuff I'll never know.

They could save a fortune and find out everything they need to know just by asking on this forum.


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