Strict school lunch standards tied to healthy weight

Strict school lunch standards that are similar to new regulations from the U.S. government may be tied to healthier body weights among students, according to a new study. "I think it's evidence that healthier school lunches have a positive effect but it's preliminary evidence. It's far from definitive," said Anne Barnhill, who studies food policy at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia but was not involved with the new research. The new findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, bode well for the standards introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in January 2012 that - among other moves - set maximums for calories offered during lunch and mandate that only skim or reduced-fat milk are offered to students. Prior to 2012, the USDA only set minimum calorie counts for school lunches. Now, the agency requires school lunches to fall between 550 calories and 850 calories - depending on a child's grade level. Previous studies questioned whether the USDA's National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced-priced meals to low-income students, helped children maintain a healthy weight. Research also found the lunches sometimes didn't meet standards and students who ate those meals tended to be obese. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_135697.html