Minorities May Be More Prone Than Whites To Gaining Weight During Childhood.

research presented at an American Heart Association meeting suggests that “minorities may be more prone than whites to gaining weight during childhood, which puts them at greater risk for becoming overweight or obese adults.” Investigators found that “Hispanics and American Indians were more likely to surpass a normal weight at age 18 than whites were.” When you move into the lower socioeconomic groups that are struggling to pay their mortgage, surrounded by fast food establishments, you realize hunger is an acute need and you want to fill that with the most satiating food that costs the cheapest," Roslin said. "It's very expensive to eat healthy, and much cheaper to eat junk foods." There are also likely genetic and cultural reasons for greater weight gain among these minority groups as well, he said, but many experts agree that genetics is a lesser factor. http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/misc-kid-s-health-news-435/minorities-more-prone-to-childhood-weight-gain-report-shows-697143.html