Young people who eat three meals and two snacks per day may be less likely to develop obesity, a new study suggests.

According to Finnish scientists, a regular eating pattern appears to be key.

They followed the progress of over 4,000 young people, from when they were still in the womb until they were 16 years old. The scientists' aim was to identify potential risk factors for obesity early in life and to assess whether meal frequency had a role to play.

The study found that those who consumed breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks every day were less likely to be obese. This was the case even among young people who were genetically predisposed to be obese.

Overall this meal/snack pattern was associated with a reduced risk of overweight and obesity in both boys and girls.

On the other hand, skipping breakfast was linked to a higher body mass index (BMI).

Meanwhile, the scientists also found that children were more likely to become obese if their mothers gained more than 7kg (15lbs) during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.

However, an even bigger risk factor than this was if the mother was obese before she became pregnant. If the child's father was obese before the pregnancy, this was also seen as a major risk factor.

Overall, the risk of obesity in teenagers was very high if both their parents were overweight or obese during the 16-year study period.

"These findings emphasise the importance of taking an early whole-family approach to childhood obesity prevention. Furthermore, it is important to be aware that the effects of predisposing genotypes can be modified by lifestyle habits such as regular meal frequency," the team from the University of Eastern Finland said.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, PLOS One.