A group of boys who watched The Simpsons while eating a pizza lunch consumed 228 more calories - a piece and a half more of three-cheese pizza - than the youngsters who did not.
"The television distracts kids from recognizing satiety and satiation signals," said Nick Bellissimo, a scholar in clinical nutrition. "It's a no-brainer, but this is the first study to demonstrate the effect of television on overeating, and we had to prove the obvious."