Study Examines Teen Eating Habits

Episode # 82
Uploaded: January 4, 2012
Running Time: 02:03

CROWN: From the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, this is CLINICAL CENTER RADIO.

A study at the Clinical Center is exploring the eating habits of teens to look for genetic factors that could contribute to how little or much some eat. Psychologist Dr. Lauren Shomaker with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development explains:

SHOMAKER: One thing that’s really interesting is that eating habits run in families. So we’re trying to better understand what genetic factors, or DNA, might play a role in explaining why certain eating patterns are passed down from generation to generation.

CROWN: Although they are looking at the hereditary component, the research team isn’t discounting social factors, says Dr. Shomaker. All of it is a consideration. 

SHOMAKER: Part of the challenge of studying human beings is that we’re very complicated. The biggest indicator that we still have a lot to learn is that, unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of programs that work so well for helping people who are obese or for people who have type 2 diabetes – or for preventing those problems. So we’re really hoping that the work we’re doing in our lab will shed some light on tailoring and developing some interventions.

CROWN: This study will include healthy teens between the ages of 13 and 17. If you would like more information about this study, or one of the 1,500 other studies offered at the NIH Clinical Center, log on to http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov. For this study, refer to protocol number 08-CH-0085 at clinicaltrials.gov. You may also call toll free 1-866-999-5553. From America's Clinical Research Hospital, this has been CLINICAL CENTER RADIO. In Bethesda, Maryland, I'm Ellen Crown, at the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

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