First-generation Mexican-Americans thinner

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COLUMBIA, S.C., April 4 (UPI) -- First-generation Mexican-American children of immigrant parents weigh less than second- and third-generation Mexican-American kids, U.S. researchers said.

Jihong Liu of the University of South Carolina and colleagues analyzed national survey data on nearly 2,300 Mexican-Americans ages 12 to 19.

"Compared with the first generation, the second and third generation has a poor dietary quality," Liu said in a statement. "They consumed significantly less fruit and vegetables, and meat and beans."

Liu said many Mexican-Americans have grown away from their dietary roots in traditional Mexican food, which favors items such as fruit and vegetables, and meat and beans.

The study was published in the Journal of Nutrition.