Too Many Snacks, Too Much Sugar, Not Enough Exercise: Childhood/Adolescent Obesity

By Gary Smith, Stevie Rowe, and Keith Belk

The US leads the world in incidence of obesity.¹ At present, 42% of US adults (18 YOA and older) are obese; worse yet, >20% of US children (0 to 12 YOA) and adolescents (13 to 17 YOA) are obese.^2,3 Obesity puts people at risk for heart disease, breathing problems, diabetes, stroke, and cancer.⁴ In the past fifty years, “availability” of food increased; “work” and “play” became less physically laborious, the “form” of food changed, and; our federal government “misguided us”. This caused us to eat too much, too fast, and too often. Our children/adolescents are getting sicker and fatter; healthcare is now 18% of national GDP.^5,6 

Pediatric Age Groups and Early Nutrition Guidance 

The medical profession divides chronological age-ranges into:  

1. Newborn—birth to 28 days
2. Infant (or Baby)—birth to 12 months 
3. Toddler—12 months to 3 years 
4. Preschooler—3 years to 5 years 
5. School-Age Child—6 years to 12 years 
6. Adolescent (or Teenager): 13 years to 18 years 

Most pediatric guidelines recommend breastmilk or infant-formula feeding for the first year, with the start of feeding pureed solids of whole foods at 6 months of age.⁷ Parents should lead by “action” and “example” for children and adolescents relative to what and when they eat.⁸ Unfortunately, the tolerance of some parents in allowing their offspring to eat whatever/whenever they choose, speaks to our changes in lifestyle. They want to be their children/adolescent’s pal rather than their dietary counselor. An old adage is, “When I was growing up, my mother’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it.”⁹ 

Dominant and Emerging Causes of Childhood Obesity 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP; via “Emerging Scientific Concerns Supported By Peer-Reviewed Research”) in its list of “dominant causes” of childhood obesity, includes diet, physical activity, and socioeconomic factors (i.e., the poor, disadvantaged, incapacitated, or under emotional duress).^7,10 “Obesogenous” means “producing or causing obesity”.¹¹ Endogenous obesity is due to metabolic (endocrine) abnormalities, while exogenous obesity is due to overeating.¹¹ Life-long obesity begins in childhood and is characterized by an increase both in number (hyperplasia) and in size (hypertrophy) of adipose cells.¹¹ Following are dominant causes (supported by adequate clinical-trial evidence) and possible causes (based largely on observational/associated clues) for childhood/adolescent exogenous (diet-related) obesity. 

Sloth, gluttony, hedonism 

For nearly a century, experts have agreed that obesity is generally caused by an “energy imbalance” between calories consumed and calories expended (i.e., people get fat because they take-in more calories than they use-up).^12,13 Many physicians and dietitians attribute energy-imbalance to sloth (laziness), gluttony (eating to excess), or hedonism (the doctrine that pleasure is the chief good in life).¹⁴ The best bet for overwhelming the cravings of hungry children/adolescents is to fill the void with snacks/meals containing as much bulk and as little refined grains and sugars as possible. When Herschel Walker (University of Georgia) entered the National Football League Hall of Fame, he credited his former coach (Vince Dooley) saying, “He never let me get away with a single thing”.¹⁵ That’s what our offspring ought to be able to say about their parents’ and teachers’ dietary guidance as they enter adulthood.¹⁶ 

Genetics 

Obesity has a heritability of 30 to 70%, and has been associated with dozens of genetic variants.^{17,18,19,20,21,22} The Human Genome Project implicated so many genes in the development of obesity that genetic manipulation offers little to nothing for therapeutic remediation of the disease.²³ Obese children have a 50 to 85% chance of being an obese adult if one or both parents is/are obese; diet, physical activity in the family environment, food availability, and behavior model—as the child grows up—have impact.^24,25 A psychologist who has run a candy store for >20 years says, “It is incredible how many obese parents allow their obese children to purchase gigantic amounts of candy and sugary beverages”.¹⁶ Children/adolescents are more likely to inherit obesity if they have an obese mother (rather than an obese father) because of:  

1. Increased circulating material levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, glucose, and fatty acids of the mother while the child is in utero²⁵
2. Women’s greater predilection for compulsive eating²⁶  
3. Women’s higher cholesterol and triglyceride blood levels²⁷  
4. Maternal traits during the child’s adolescence²⁵ 

Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) 

Real, whole, raw food has been replaced by processed, prepackaged, restaurant-like, vending-machine food that is available everywhere.^28,29 Current estimates are that children/adolescents obtain 62 to 70% of their calories from UPFs.^30,31 That’s not surprising when you consider that any food product with more than five ingredients is called a UPF.³² Some believe that the high and increased consumption of UPFs in the 21st century may be the key driver of our obesity epidemic.³³ Ultra-processed foods are engineered to produce a state of gratification beyond just satisfaction (i.e., the “bliss point”) by answering our cravings for sugar, salt, fat, and crunch.³⁴ One study concluded that people are able to gulp down UPFs faster, which doesn’t allow sufficient time for the stomach-to-brain signaling system to say, “the tank is full”…so, they keep on eating.³⁵ Pediatricians recommend that children/adolescent diets should focus on three meals per day of real, whole foods, with a cut-back on UPF snacks.^8,10 

Sugars 

Resident (e.g., in fruits) and Added (e.g., in UPFs) sugars are found most often in sugary beverages, sweet snacks, breakfast cereals, honey, fruit juices, and candy.³⁶ Three very large research studies revealed that high consumption of resident/added sugars was associated with significantly higher risk of 45 negative health outcomes (including obesity and early death).^{36,37,38,39,40,41} Soda, candy, and other sweets create pleasure by triggering the release of dopamine in the brain which leads to overindulgence and cravings…leading people to consume more calories than they would otherwise do.⁴² The Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism warn that introducing sugar into a baby’s diet before age 5 months could increase the risk of obesity later in life.⁴³ Some recommend avoiding foods/beverages with added sugars in the diets of newborns, infants, and toddlers.⁴⁴ 

Sedentary Lifestyles 

The FDA believes that childhood/adolescent obesity is most likely caused by the dramatic changes in our national lifestyle.⁴⁵ Young people are sedentary (i.e., sit too much) and don’t get enough recreational play, outside exercise, sports participation, and sleep.^{8,10,16,43,44,46} Each day, children spend 5 hours, and adolescents spend 10 hours of “screen-time” on devices (cell phones, computers, etc.).^47,48 Based on results of clinical trials and very strong observational studies, children (less than 13 YOA) should not be allowed to have or use cell phones, and children/adolescents should sleep at least 7.9 hours each night, and have at least 2.5 hours per day of strenuous physical exercise.⁴⁹ Things being done about this include: 

1. “1,000 Hours Outside” family movement⁴⁷
2. The States of Texas and Kansas have banned the use of cell phones in public schools^50,51  
3. Revival of the US President’s “National Campaign on Fitness”⁵² 

Snacks 

A 4-year-old eating too many snacks is poor-parenting; if it’s a 16-year-old, it’s bad personal/parent/teacher behavior.^43,53 Parents and teachers should lead on dietary choices by action and example.^1,10,43,45 Snacks are available 24/7, disturb/replace programmed 3-meal eating rhythms, and cause us to eat too much, too fast, and too often.^54,55,56,57 Many children/adolescents are living “one snack to the next”;⁵⁷ a high-school counselor attributes almost all of the obesity problems in today’s teens to the availability of snacks.⁵⁸ One in five US parents (especially low-income Moms) say they are often too stressed-out to cook, and allow their offspring to eat whatever/whenever they choose.^16,59 A citizenry group—“Strict Discipline vs. Gentle Parenting”—has gained traction, helping parents provide dietary guidance to their children/adolescents.⁶⁰ Parents are students’ first and fellow teachers.⁴⁴ 

Mental Condition 

Eating habits are largely mediated by factors outside of our conscious control;⁶¹ our mood drives our eating and vice versa;⁶² and emotional duress is being solved with “comfort foods” that are high-sugar, high-fat, salty, and/or crunchy.⁶³ School age children/teenagers exhibit “emotional eating”: sad? give ‘em a soda; crying? how ‘bout a candy bar; confused? have a doughnut; anxious? eat some chips; depressed? eat a snack.⁵⁸ A survey revealing that 55% of Illinois teenage girls say they are depressed caused it to mandate assessment of every public-school student’s mental state; an expert warns that asking students if they are depressed may cause vulnerable youngsters to believe they are.^64,65 The FDA says it is the extra calories in comfort foods that cause obesity, and food additives don’t cause hyperactivity or any other neurobehavioral effects in Children/Adolescents.^66,67,68 

Over-Medication 

It has always been profitable for pill-pushers (i.e., Big Pharma) if the US has more obese persons; now it’s making physicians that treat diet-health issues in healthcare hospitals rich.⁶⁹ Our children are getting sicker and fatter; sales of medicinal drugs for children have increased by 1400% in the past three decades.⁵ The AAP has been a party to this, pushing pills for obese persons who are at least 12 YOA.⁷ Now though, there is solid evidence linking early antibiotic use to childhood obesity via disruption of the gut microbiome, antibiotics can disturb gut bacteria that are critical for regulating “energy balance”.^8,70 A JAMA Pediatrics study found that children given broad-spectrum antibiotics before age 2 were more likely to be obese by age 5.5 A Finnish cohort study in 2025 reported that toddlers with early antibiotic exposure had a 20% higher obesity reach by the time they reached primary school.⁷ 

Environmental Toxins 

Among the many environmental toxins of human-health concern, there is little or no evidence that greenhouses gases, microplastics, or PFAS (“Forever Chemicals”) cause obesity.^{71,72,73,74,75} There is strong evidence (i.e., multiple peer-reviewed scientific reports) that links early-life exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with obesity.^8,70 A 2009 review introduces metabolic programming by environmental toxins (“obesogens”)—chemicals like phthalates, bis-phenol A (BPA) and tributyltin.^7,8 Epidemiological data and test-animal studies show that phthalates and TBT can alter lipid metabolism, appetite regulation, and adipocyte development;^7,70 recent 2025 studies reaffirm these associations.⁷⁴ Some infant-formula manufacturers have shifted from plastic or EDC-lined metal containers to glass or cardboard consumer-packaging.⁷⁶ 

Governmental Misguidance 

Our increase in national obesity rate closely parallels the ineffectiveness of entitlements (SNAP, WIC, the National School Lunch Program, Medicaid, etc.) and Dietary Guidelines For Americans (DGFA).^77,78 One of every five people living in the US receives one or more of such entitlements;⁷⁹ all of those persons and everyone who regularly ate at a public-school in the last 45 years has suffered from the most disastrous dietary advice ever inflicted on our citizens.^80,81 Following the edicts of DGFA causes obesity which is the primary risk factor in diet-related diseases.^82,83 Food-stamp beneficiaries spend 17% of their SNAP funds for soda, candy, and sweets; 76% of them are overweight or obese (3% are underweight), and they die far more often from illnesses caused by overindulgence than by hunger.^68,78,84 Help may be on the way to begin solving our obesity epidemic. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (USDHHS Secretary) is “taking a wrecking ball” to the entitlements to reduce some of these problems.^68,84 Among these actions, and although USDA allows States to file for waivers, the Administration is “leading bold reform to strengthen integrity and restore nutritional value within the SNAP Program.”⁸⁵ The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA has also announced plans to phase out petroleum-based food dyes by the end of 2026-2027.⁸⁶ Additional controls may become legislated upon completion of a new Farm Bill that are being considered at the time of this publication. It is clear at this point that the SNAP program will continue to evolve over the next few years. 

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