Despite the concerns about getting obese, parents should not restrict their children to low-fat diets.

Experts says yesterday that fat forms are part of a balanced diet and has an important role in helping youngsters to grow. 

The study has said that exposing children to maternal junk food in the womb or in early life will find it hard to resist in having an unhealthy as they grow old.

It was carried out in the new research and by Pennsylvania State University and published in the Nutrition Journal,  says that as a part of a healthy diet fat should be included.

Children were found to burn considerably more fat compared to adults that relatively burn the amount of energy used, the team found out.

The authors said dietary fat recommendations were higher for children aged four to 18 (25-35 per cent of energy) compared with adults (20-35 per cent of energy).

They said that, despite this, more parents and children restrict dietary fat for health reasons and concerns.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum and chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, said: "I think this research is absolutely right.

"For the whole purpose of living and growing up, young children need more fat and energy."