In an effort to give people a better understanding of portion size and dietary recommendations, scientists are suggesting calories counts on packages may soon be replaced by the exercise duration needed to burn off the food.
The authors of a study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that teens made healthier dietary choices when presented with the new caloric exercise information. To test their hypothesis, researchers presented dietary information in four different ways.
• Absolute calories
• Miles of walking needed to burn off the calories
• Minutes of running needed to burn off the calories
• Teaspoons of sugar
The four caloric variations were posted in the soda sections of local corner stores. Teens were then asked to go into the store and purchase a beverage of their choosing. According to researchers, when presented with the number of minutes of walking needed to burn off the beverage, more teens opted for a smaller sugar-sweetened beverage, a diet beverage, water or skipped the beverage altogether.
Researchers were encouraged by the findings, but noted that their study was limited to African American youth – a group at high risk for obesity and diabetes.
“Overall, we found that providing easily understandable caloric information might be an effective strategy for lowering calorie intake from sugar-sweetened beverages among low income Black adolescents and encouraging increased water and diet soda purchases,” the authors wrote.
The authors also wrote that even if teens didn’t choose a healthier option when presented with the exercise information, participants noted that they had a better understanding of the health impact based on the information than if they were simply given total calorie counts.
Dr. Silverman comments
This study’s results are consistent with similar studies that suggest people make smarter food choices when presented with easy to understand information. While not everyone may know exactly how many calories they should consume each day, it wasn’t long ago that even this information wasn’t present on fast food and restaurant menus. Now, all it takes is a glance at the menu to realize that Southwest Chicken Salad with Ranch dressing is just as bad for you as that Double Cheeseburger.
But these researchers are trying to make it even easier for people to understand, and it appears to be having the intended effect. 180 calories may not seen like a lot for a can of soda, but if it takes 45 minutes to walk that off, maybe you’ll be more inclined to opt for an Aquafina.
I would like to see the FDA make the next move on this. Surely product makers won’t put this information on their sodas if it has a chance to hinder sales, so it’s time for the government to take a closer look at the health impact this could bring.
Related source: Medscape
