Teenagers who eat too much junk food

are being starved of vital vitamins

SHOCK RESEARCH WARNS OF HEALTH RISK OF POOR DIETS

WORRYING research shows that millions of teenagers are dangerously low in vital minerals and vitamins because they eat too many pizzas, sweets and junk food and not enough fruit, vegetables and oily fish. In a scientific paper which will concern parents, the experts warn teenagers are storing up health problems which will hit them later in life and one researcher goes so far as to say that junk food is a “ticking timebomb” of disease and ill health.

 The research shows almost half of teenage girls are dangerously low in iron, magnesium and selenium. Iron, which is found in red meat, liver, beans, nuts and green leafy vegetables, is vital for the production of healthy red blood cells and helps keeps memory and attention sharp. Magnesium, from shellfish, whole grains and nuts, helps keep bones strong, while selenium keeps the immune system healthy.

One in ten girls is dangerously low in calcium, putting them at increased risk of brittle bones and falls and fractures in old age. And one in six is severely short of iodine, a mineral  key to brain development in the womb. One in ten teenage boys is lacking in zinc, which is crucial to the production of sperm, the healing of wounds and the recovery of muscles after exercise.

The researchers believe teenagers’ diets are particularly bad because they are starting to feed themselves for the first time, often skip meals and many are starting to experiment with cigarettes, which cut appetite. In addition, many girls will be on spurious diets which advise cutting out certain foods to keep them slim or their skin glowing. One of the great benefits of the Thinking Slimmer method of weight control is that it is not a diet but encourages the mind to be drawn to low-calorie, healthy foods and a balanced intake of food and drink.

The new research was conducted by Carrie Ruxton, an independent nutritionist, and Emma Derbyshire, a nutritionist at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr Ruxton said: “While things like heart disease and cancer affect people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, the very early stages happen several decades before. It may be boring thinking about your health when you are 14, 15, or 16, but it is really important to lay down the balanced diet you are going to follow of the rest of your life."

The experts conclude in the journal Complete Nutrition: “The diet quality of teenagers and young adults is fundamentally important. During this life-phase, dietary requirements may be high due to rapid physical and mental development. Unfortunately, this is often hampered by social factors, body image concerns and the fact that many young people ‘live for the minute,’ being unaware of how current diets can affect later health.

“To many young people, middle age and the risk of chronic disease impacting on their life may seem far off. But the foundations of conditions such as cardiovascular disease are laid in childhood.”