When it comes to food, kids tend to eat what’s put in front of them even if it exceeds their calorie needs, according to new study findings.

Researchers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York found that if kids were served more food, they ate it, and did not adjust how much they ate according to what they’d already eaten earlier in the day.

For instance, kids didn’t eat less if they had big breakfasts, and the more snacks they were given, the more calories they ate in one day.

These findings suggest that kids are no better than adults at listening to their bodies, and that parents can have a big influence on their children’s health, said study author Dr. David A. Levitsky.

“The more opportunity you give them to eat, and the more food you put in front of them, the more they will eat,” he said.

Consequently, Levitsky recommended that adults try to avoid overfeeding kids, perhaps by serving small portions. Give kids more food if they want it, “but don’t put a lot on the plate,” he said.

Levitsky and Gordana Mrdjenovic monitored the eating habits of 16 children ages 4 to 6 for up to 7 days in a row. The researchers tracked what children ate at day care centers, and asked parents to keep food diaries of what kids ate at home.

The team found that the biggest determinant of the amount kids ate was the amount they were served. What kids ate previously, and the fat, protein, or carbohydrate content of their food, did little to influence kids’ intake, the investigators report in the journal Appetite.

Levitsky explained that previous studies have suggested that kids naturally adjust their intake based on what they’ve eaten before. For instance, earlier studies conducted in laboratories showed that infants appear to adjust their intake if scientists switched them to high-calorie formula.

However, Levitsky said that he and his colleagues reanalyzed this data, and found that kids don’t “totally compensate” for changes in food content, and infants eventually got fatter if they consumed calorie-rich formula.

“I know of very little evidence supporting the idea that children are any better than adults” at listening to their bodies when it comes to food, Levitsky noted.

SOURCE: Appetite, June 2005.