By Roberto A. Ferdman, Washington Post

All around the world, child obesity rates are rising. In the Americas, 31 percent of children are now overweight or obese. In Europe, that number is closer to 40 percent. Even in regions where obesity is less of an epidemic, it’s becoming increasingly problematic.

And the trend, no doubt, has a lot to do with whatever it is that overweight kids and teenagers are eating.

Researchers at Duke National University of Singapore took a closer look at the types of food that are associated with overweight and obese children. Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, which recorded the diets and body mass index (BMI) of nearly 4,500 children in England in the 1990s, they tracked what the kids ate and what happened to their bodies over the course of three years. What they found is convincing evidence that certain foods might be causing disproportionate harm.

Specifically, the kids who regularly ate potato chips tended to gain the most weight.

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