Despite the fact that obesity can increase individuals’ chances of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure, more than one-third of children and adolescents were considered to be obese or overweight in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As if health problems were not bad enough, obesity in children has also been linked to poor academic performance. To find out if weight actually influences how students perform in the classroom, Stephanie von Hinke Kessler Scholder from the University of York and fellow researchers analyzed data on 4,000 individuals.

While past studies have shown that heavier kids are less likely to do well in school than slimmer students, the researchers arrived at a very different conclusion.

"When we used children's genetic markers to account for potentially other factors, we found no evidence that obesity causally affects exam results," said Scholder. "So, we conclude that obesity is not a major factor affecting children's educational outcomes."

If parents still have concerns over how their children’s weight is influencing their studies, they can always have them complete an IQ test for kids to gain insight into their cognitive abilities.

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