It may be more important than we thought to tackle obesity in childhood. A new study published in Pediatrics finds that overweight teenagers eat fewer calories than their healthy weight peers.

That’s right — they eat less.

How much less? The study found that among 12- to 14-year-olds, obese girls consumed 110 fewer calories daily than healthy-weight girls. And overweight boys between the ages of 15 and 17 consumed about 375 fewer calories a day than healthy-weight boys.

Up to the ages of of 8 or 9, overweight children ate more calories than their slimmer peers. But, “at about age 9 or 10, we start to see, essentially, a flip,” explains Skinner. Basically, heavier older kids start to eat less.

“One reason this makes sense is because we know overweight children are less active than healthy weight kids,” explains lead researcher Asheley Cockrell Skinner of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

And obesity expert Matthew Gillman of the Harvard School of Public Health says the amount of physical activity kids participate in is key. “When you’re less physically active, you actually need fewer calories to maintain your weight,” he explains.

“Once you become overweight, there are changes in your body that make you different from someone who’s not [overweight],” explains Sophia Yen of Stanford School of Medicine. “You have extra fat cells, and you have different insulin levels,” which can make it feel like you’re eating less than you are.

Fat Thanks to Sona S. for the tip!

Heavy Teens Eat Less But Weigh More Than Their Thinner Peers : The Salt : NPR