The Position of Calories on Menus Influences How Much People Eat. ESRI Research Bulletin 2019/15

High levels of obesity worldwide have led to calls for calorie information to be put on food menus. Ireland’s Obesity Policy and Action Plan commits the government to introduce legislation on calorie posting. In advance of this measure, some restaurants have adopted voluntary policies and put calories on their menus already. However, the size of the calorie information and where it is placed on the menu differs across restaurants. This may matter, because research in behavioural economics suggests that, in general, the size, colour and location of information affects how people respond to it. In research funded by the Department of Health, the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit designed an experiment to test how the location of calorie information on menus affects whether consumers notice calorie information and how much they order, eat and understand

The effect of spatial position of calorie information on choice, consumption and attention. ESRI WP615, February 2019

We report a “lab-in-the-field” experiment designed to test the impact of posting calories on menus. The study adds substantially to previous work by testing different spatial arrangements of price and calorie information. Choices were real, not hypothetical, and participants were unaware that their lunch choice was part of a study, even though their eye-movements were being tracked. Participants exposed to calorie information ordered 93 fewer calories (11%) relative to a control group. The impact was strongest when calorie information was presented on menus just to the right of the price, in an equivalent font. The difference in number of calories consumed was greater still. These effects were mediated by knowledge of the amount of calories in the meal, implying that calorie posting led to more informed decision making. There was no impact on enjoyment of the meal. Eye-tracking data suggested that this arrangement altered the decision process such that greater decision weight was given to calorie content

Changes in Indonesian Food Consumption Patterns and their Nutritional Implications

This study examines changes in Indonesian food consumption during 1996-2002 which included the period of the Asian financial crisis in late 1997/98. This paper analyses the nutritional implications of the changes in terms of the level and composition of calorie intake and the prevalence of undernourishment. The analysis reveals a divergence, during this period, between the magnitude and the movement of the undernourishment and food expenditure poverty rates. The results reveal a sharp divide between rural and urban households, and between calorie-deprived and calorie-satisfied households. While this period witnessed significant improvement in calorie intake, the dietary changes do not appear to have been large enough to address the issue of protein deficiency in the Indonesian diet. The results point to the need for policy interventions and information campaigns to ensure an increase in both the quantity and quality of the calorie intake.Undernourishment, Calorie Shares, Processed Food, Kernel Density Plot.

Preventing weight gain with calorie-labeling

Objective: Calorie-labeling has been suggested as an anti-obesity measure but there is no evidence for its effect, to date. Early adulthood is a critical life-cycle period for unwanted weight gain and obesity development. This study examined whether providing calorie information would help young adults to avoid weight gain. Methods: Using a pragmatic interrupted time-series study design, weight changes over 36 weeks were reported among two year-groups, each of 120 young adults, similar in age, gender, and ethnicity, living in fully-catered accommodation. Year 1: subjects were observed without calorie-labeling, apart from a 5-week pilot. Year 2: calorie-labeling was present prominently and consistently at main meals for 30 of the 36 weeks. Results: Mean weight changes over 36 weeks, per protocol, were +3.5 kg (95% CI = 2.8-4.1 kg) (n = 64) in Year 1 and −0.15 kg (95% CI = −0.7-0.3 kg) (n = 87) in Year 2. Weight changes were significantly different between years, for males and females (both P < 0.001). Intention-to-treat analysis showed similar results. Relative Risk for weight gain in Year 2, compared to Year 1, was 0.5 (P < 0·0001). Conclusions: Calorie-labeling was associated with a 3.5 kg less weight gain, representing a low-cost “nudging” approach to combat the rapid weight gain seen in young adults

Suitability of calorie fortified diets for improving the production of Clarias gariepinus broodstock and fry

The findings are presented of an experiment conducted to determine the adequate level of calorie in diets that is necessary to bring Clarias gariepinus female broodstock to grand stage. The effect of different calorie level on the quality and quantity of egg produced by C. gariepinus broodstock and the survival rate of the fry fed the same diets and those fed harvested zooplankton were also investigate

How Supermarkets Are Shaping Up and Growing Their Lower-Calorie Products

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than a third of adults and nearly 17 percent of children in the United States are obese. This public health crisis has spurred policy debates at all levels of government, and has prompted initiatives aimed at making schools and communities healthier for children and families. For the past four years, Hudson Institute, a nonpartisan policy research organization, has studied the link between healthier, lower-calorie products and the sales performance of the companies that offer them. It has completed several landmark studies covering consumer packaged goods (CPG) food companies and restaurant chains that have demonstrated the positive impact of lower-calorie and/or better-for-you (BFY) foods and beverages on overall sales growth. This latest study aims to determine whether supermarket chains, like CPG companies and restaurant chains, are also reaping business benefits from selling lower-calorie products

An Analysis of the Weight Watchers and Atkins Diets: The Effects of Calorie Restriction and Nutrition Levels

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a calorie-restricted diet versus one with restricted food groups. To accomplish this, a survey with 19 participants, age ranging from 25 to 74 years, was taken for people who attempted Weight Watchers, a calorie-restricted diet, and Atkins, a low-carbohydrate diet. The success rates of each of these diets will be compared and analyzed in this study. Participants reported short-term and long-term weight loss results. For the data analysis, descriptive statistics and two independent t-tests were performed. For short-term weight loss on Atkins, M = 20.25, and on Weight Watchers, M = 44.33. With net weight loss, Atkins averaged 11.25 pounds and Weight Watchers group averaged 44.33 pounds. Although the independent t-tests did not show a significant difference, research suggests that calorie restriction is more effective for long-term maintenance

Effects of calorie restriction and IGF-1 receptor blockade on the progression of 22Rv1 prostate cancer xenografts.

Calorie restriction (CR) inhibits prostate cancer progression, partially through modulation of the IGF axis. IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) blockade reduces prostate cancer xenograft growth. We hypothesized that combining calorie restriction with IGF-1R blockade would have an additive effect on prostate cancer growth. Severe combined immunodeficient mice were subcutaneously injected with 22Rv1 cells and randomized to: (1) Ad libitum feeding/intraperitoneal saline (Ad-lib); (2) Ad-lib/20 mg/kg twice weekly, intraperitoneal ganitumab [anti-IGF-1R antibody (Ad-lib/Ab)]; (3) 40% calorie restriction/intraperitoneal saline (CR); (4) CR/ intraperitoneal ganitumab, (CR/Ab). CR and ganitumab treatment were initiated one week after tumor injection. Euthanasia occurred 19 days post treatment. Results showed that CR alone decreased final tumor weight, plasma insulin and IGF-1 levels, and increased apoptosis. Ganitumab therapy alone reduced tumor growth but had no effect on final tumor weight. The combination therapy (CR/Ab) further decreased final tumor weight and proliferation, increased apoptosis in comparison to the Ad-lib group, and lowered plasma insulin levels relative to the Ad-lib and Ad-lib/Ab groups. Tumor AKT activation directly correlated with plasma IGF-1 levels. In conclusion, whereas ganitumab therapy modestly affected 22Rv1 tumor growth, combining IGF-1R blockade with calorie restriction resulted in a significant decrease in final tumor weight and improved metabolic profile