[Source:  Science Daily]

A new study proposes that variation in the energy needs of brain development across kids — in terms of the timing, intensity and duration of energy use — could influence patterns of energy expenditure and weight gain.

Weight gain occurs when an individual’s energy intake exceeds their energy expenditure — in other words, when calories in exceed calories out. What is less well understood is the fact that, on average, nearly half of the body’s energy is used by the brain during early childhood.

In a new paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), “A hypothesis linking the energy demand of the brain to obesity risk,” co-authors Christopher Kuzawa of Northwestern University and Clancy Blair of New York University School of Medicine, propose that variation in the energy needs of brain development across kids — in terms of the timing, intensity and duration of energy use — could influence patterns of energy expenditure and weight gain.

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