Children who have tonsils removed are more likely to be obese adults, studies suggest

A set of studies appears to show a strong link between a liking for high-fat foods and the damage caused to taste nerves by chronic ear infections and operations to remove tonsils.

It is thought the damage can lead patients to change their eating habits, opting for junk food and sweets rather than healthy meals.

Pre-school children with a severe history of ear infections ate fewer vegetables and more sweets and tended to weigh more, a US study found

One study of 6,584 adults with a moderate to severe history of ear infections - known as otitis media - were 62 per cent more likely to be obese than those who did not suffer the same problem.

Middle-aged women with damage to their taste nerves also preferred sweet and high-fat foods and had bigger waistlines than those with an unimpaired sense of taste.

Another study showed pre-school children with a severe history of ear infections ate fewer vegetables and more sweets and tended to weigh more.

One study of 6,584 adults with a moderate to severe history of otitis media were 62 per cent more likely to be obese than those who did not suffer the same problem.

The studies were presented yesterday at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting in Boston.

New analysis of data from a 1960s US health survey revealed that teenage girls who had lost their tonsils were 30 per cent more likely to be overweight

Researcher John Hayes, from Brown University in the US, said 'This suggests that taste damage from ear infections may alter food choice and thus lead to obesity risk.'

A new analysis of data from a 1960s American national health survey revealed that teenage girls who had lost their tonsils were 30 per cent more likely to be overweight.

Younger children aged six to 11 who had tonsillectomies were 40 per cent more likely to be overweight at the time of the survey.

Epidemiologist Howard Hoffman, from the US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, carried out the review of 14,000 children.

He said tonsil removal was a common treatment for chronic ear infections at the time.

'This data suggests that there are lingering effects of tonsillectomies on taste nerves and that can affect eating habits' he said.

Epidemiologist Kathleen Daly of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, said recent research findings suggested toddlers treated with tubes for ear infections were fatter than healthy children.

She said 'Obesity has doubled over the past 20 years among pre-school children.
'The more data we collect on what contributes to this major public health problem, the greater likelihood that we can help to prevent it.'