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Distracted Eating Linked to Higher Odds of Heart Risk Factors in Kids

A Brazilian study found eating with screens on was linked to higher odds of stacked heart and metabolism warning signs.

By Dr. Josh Axe · November 8, 2026 · 1 source · Watch

Photo: Pexels

At a glance

What they found: Distracted eating linked to 2.98x odds of 1-2 risk factors and 2.52x odds of 3+ risk factors.
Who was studied: 978 Brazilian schoolchildren ages 7-10 in public urban schools.
What it doesn't show: That distracted eating caused it. The study tracked a link.

A study of 978 Brazilian schoolchildren, published November 2, 2026 in PLOS One, found kids who ate meals with distractions like television or phones had nearly 3 times higher odds of carrying multiple cardiometabolic risk factors than kids who ate without screens.

978kids studied

72%had dyslipidemia

2.98xodds, 1-2 factors

30%were overweight

Researchers surveyed 978 schoolchildren ages 7 to 10 in public urban schools in the Federal District, Brazil, from October to December 2022; 315 also had fasting blood drawn. Among those 315, 89.9% had at least one cardiometabolic risk factor, a measurable marker tied to future heart and metabolic disease, and 72.0% had dyslipidemia, an unhealthy mix of cholesterol or triglycerides. In the full group, 30.2% were overweight.

Eating with distractions such as TV, tablets or phones was linked to nearly 3 times higher odds of having one to two risk factors (odds ratio 2.98) and about 2.5 times higher odds of having three or more (odds ratio 2.52), compared with kids who ate without distractions. Only 4.7% of distracted eaters had zero risk factors, versus 15.0% of those who ate without distractions. Kids who had snacks or treats instead of a home-cooked meal were about a third as likely to land in the one-to-two risk factor group as kids eating homemade meals, though this did not hold for the three-or-more group.

In general, eating in front of a screen may dull fullness cues and speed up how fast a child eats; this study did not test that mechanism directly, and the authors call the link an association, not proof of cause. Screen time itself and neighborhood income level were not linked to risk burden in this group.

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Brazilian Schoolchildren

315 children, fasting blood tests, 2022

Dyslipidemia

72 %

Elevated triglycerides

38.2 %

Overweight (full sample)

30.2 %

Elevated CRP

19.4 %

PLOS One, 2026, Diogo et al.

This is a one-time snapshot of a non-random subgroup of morning-shift students, so it cannot show that distracted eating causes the added risk, only that the two track together. The blood-work sample was a relatively small 315 children, and larger, longer-running studies are the logical next step.

Dr. Axe’s Take

This fits what I'd expect: when a child's attention is on a screen, meals move faster and fullness cues get missed, often alongside more processed food at the table. My advice is simple. Protect at least one family meal a day as screen-free time, build the plate around real food like vegetables, beans, eggs and fruit, and let kids help set the table so the meal actually has their attention. Start with dinner tonight, phones away, plates full of whole food, and make it a daily habit, not a one-time rule.

— Dr. Axe

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Study summary

Who: 978 Brazilian schoolchildren ages 7-10 in public urban schools; 315 also had fasting blood drawn; 51.2% boys, mean age 8.48 years.
Design: Population-based cross-sectional school study, data collected October 3 to December 14, 2022, using a complex multi-stage sampling design.
Dose: Not applicable; behavioral survey plus fasting blood glucose, lipid panel and C-reactive protein measurement.
Primary result: 89.9% of 315 blood-tested children had at least one cardiometabolic risk factor; dyslipidemia in 72.0%; distracted eating linked to 2.98x odds of 1-2 risk factors and 2.52x odds of 3+ risk factors.
Secondary: 30.2% of all 978 children were overweight; 38.2% had elevated triglycerides; 19.4% had elevated C-reactive protein; snacks/treats vs. homemade meal linked to 0.32x odds of 1-2 risk factors (no link for 3+).
Funding / conflicts: Funder listed in the journal record: Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Date: Nov 2, 2026