Now, I am all for helping kids slim down, but the latest suggestion seems more than a little silly.

Some doctors are suggesting giving kids heavier toys to play with, in hopes of helping them burn calories and lose weight.

Researchers at Indiana State University in Terre Haute tried a small experiment to test the effects of having kids play with heavier toys. They found that 10 children ages 6 to 8 burned more calories and had higher heart and breathing rates when they moved 3-pound toy blocks instead of unweighted blocks.

They claim it call also help with building strength, balance and coordination.

Hello, has anyone even thought of what could happen if kids start tossing these heavy toys at one another? One wallop upside the head could land some poor child in the hospital.

Or what if they hurt themselves trying to work out? Doctors have traditionally advised against letting kids lift weights too early for fear it could stunt their development.

The study's authors stressed that their report is a starting point, and involved only a few children under very controlled circumstances.

Guess they want to just lighten up.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com