Clinical trial · Nutrition · 13 Nov 2026
In 82 children, a game showed which food items were hard to class by energy density
Source: Nutrients
What the research found
Gameplay data from a cluster-randomized trial were analyzed in a paper published on 13 November 2026. Children aged 9 to 11 (n=82) classified each food by energy density, including tasks with a time limit. The abstract does not give a sex split. This paper studies classification, not body weight. Mistakes were mostly between neighboring density bands. The medium band, 1.5 to 2.5 kcal per gram, was the hardest. Accuracy was highest for fruit, vegetables, and high-energy sweets. Cereals and dairy varied more. A time limit left accuracy mostly stable. Sugar in fruit-based drinks was underestimated. Across sessions, children more often chose a food in a lower energy-density band. DOI 10.3390/nu18223766. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Clinical trial. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.
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