PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Reading food labels, combined with exercise, can lead to weight loss

2010-09-08
(Press-News.org) Pullman, WA—September 8, 2010— Nutritional science and food marketing has become so sophisticated in recent decades that a trip to the supermarket can require a complete nutritional re-education. The average consumer needs to be on guard against preservatives, added fat, colorings, and calories, false advertising, and sophisticated but misleading labels. Although guidelines for the information of food labels have gotten a bad rap in recent years a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs suggests that observing them may lead to weight loss, especially for women entering their middle years.

Using information on whether consumers read food labels the first time they buy a product, the research finds that people who observe the labels and do not exercise display a slightly greater likelihood of weight loss than those who do exercise but do not pay attention to food labels. By simply adding an exercise routine to their lifestyle regular food label readers can increase their changes of losing weight. Women between the ages of 37-50 years are more likely to read food labels than men, and are therefore more likely to lose weight."

Previous research has focused on food marketing and behaviour but has not followed related weight loss over time in this middle-aged demographic group. The data for this study was taken from a National Longitudinal Survey of Youth compiled from 2002-2006. The survey began in 1979 with over 12,000 male and female participants born in the years 1957-1964.

Over fifty percent of participants reported that they were trying to lose or control weight. Of these participants, almost seventy percent were obese or overweight. Almost fifty percent were actively reading food labels on their first time purchase and slightly more than twenty-five percent were actively participating in vigorous exercise. Overall, older individuals are less likely to lose weight by reading food labels, and general participation in vigorous exercise drops off after age forty-five.

Additionally, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), enacted in 1994, requires all food manufactures to present essential nutrient and ingredient information on food packages. According to the recently-passed health care reform bill there will be easier access to nutritional information at restaurants, retail food establishments and vending machines. Combined with these new findings, it is likely that this measure will be useful to those who want to lose weight and read food labels to make well-informed decision regarding their diets in and outside their homes.

Weight loss programs and plans would do well in augmenting their client's weight loss goals with the recommended use of food labels, in order to maintain a healthy weight. This is particularly important as people enter middle age and are at a risk for heart disease, obesity-related diabetes, cancer and dementia.

INFORMATION:

This study is published in the Fall 2010 issue of the Journal of Consumer Affairs. Members of the media may request a full-text version of this article by contacting scholarlynews@wiley.com.

To view an abstract of this article please click visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-6606.2010.01181.x/abstract.

Article: "Use of Food Labels as a Weight Loss Behavior." Bidisha Mandal. Journal of Consumer Affairs; Published Online: September 8, 2010 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6606.2010.01181.x).

Bidisha Mandal, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University and has been conducting research on the behavioral aspects of health for six years. She can be reached for questions at bmandal@wsu.edu.

About the Journal: The Journal of Consumer Affairs features analyses of individual, business, and/or government decisions and actions that can impact the interests of consumers in the marketplace. For more information, please visit here.

About Wiley-Blackwell

Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Worldwide shortage of isotopes for medical imaging could threaten quality of patient care

2010-09-08
Twenty million medical scans and treatments are done each year that require radioactive isotopes, and scientists today described a global shortage of these life-saving materials that could jeopardize patient care and drive-up health care costs. They spoke at a symposium at one of the opening sessions of the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Medical isotopes are minute amounts of radioactive substances used to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. Isotopes injected into the body can enable doctors to determine whether the heart has adequate ...

Education more important than knowledge in stopping spread of HIV in Africa

2010-09-08
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Simply teaching people the facts about how to protect themselves from HIV may not be enough to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa, a new study suggests. Researchers found that villagers in Ghana who had higher levels of cognitive and decision-making abilities – not just the most knowledge -- were the ones who were most likely to take steps to protect themselves from HIV infection. These cognitive abilities are what people develop through formal education, said Ellen Peters, lead author of the study and associate professor of psychology at Ohio State ...

'Soyscreen': Sunscreen for fungus to expand biological control of crop pests

2010-09-08
Scientists today described development and successful initial tests on a substance that acts as a sunscreen for the microscopic spores of a fungus, brightening prospects for wider use of the fungus as a means of wiping out insect pests that attack food crops. "Our finding is especially important for the environment because improving the effectiveness of biological control treatments like this will help to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides," said team leader Robert W. Behle, Ph.D. Behle explained that the fungus –– Beauveria bassiana –– shows great promise as a ...

Eyes of cattle may become new windows to detect mad cow disease

2010-09-08
The eyes may or may not be windows to the soul, as the old adage goes, but scientists are reporting evidence that a peek into the eyes of cattle may become the basis for a long-sought test to detect infection with the agent that causes Mad Cow Disease. That test could help prevent the disease from spreading in the food supply. A study on using the tell-tale glow given off by eyes infected with the Mad Cow agent appears in ACS' semi-monthly journal Analytical Chemistry. Jacob Petrich and colleagues note that the human form of Mad Cow Disease is linked to eating beef from ...

Low levels of formaldehyde in clothing unlikely to pose health risk

2010-09-08
The formaldehyde added to fabrics to keep clothing looking fresh and wrinkle-free is unlikely to pose a health risk to consumers, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine. C&EN Senior Correspondent David J. Hanson notes that manufacturers have added formaldehyde to fabrics for almost a hundred years to make fabrics easier to care for, particularly to reduce wrinkling in cotton and prevent stains. But concern has emerged over formaldehyde's potential for causing allergic reactions such as skin rashes ...

High testosterone levels linked to self-destructive CEO behavior, says Management Science

2010-09-08
High testosterone levels in CEOs negotiating mergers and acquisitions are linked to a higher rate of dropped deals and an increase in hostile takeover attempts, according to a new study in the current issue of Management Science, a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®). "Deal or No Deal: Hormones and the Mergers and Acquisitions Game" is by Maurice Levi, Kai Li, and Feng Zhang of the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. The study appears in the current issue of Management Science. A podcast ...

Scientists identify molecular gatekeeper of arthritis

2010-09-08
Elimination of a molecular gatekeeper leads to the development of arthritis in mice, scientists report in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The newly discovered gatekeeper is a protein that determines the fate – survival or death – of damaging cells that mistakenly attack the body's own tissues and lead to autoimmune disorders such as arthritis. Better understanding how arthritis develops will offer scientists an opportunity to explore new types of treatments for patients whose arthritis has not been effectively treated with current therapies. "This ...

Team led by Scripps Research scientist identifies new gene for memory

2010-09-08
JUPITER, FL, September 8, 2010 – A team led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist has for the first time identified a new gene that is required for memory formation in Drosophila, the common fruit fly. The gene may have similar functions in humans, shedding light on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or human learning disabilities. The study was published in the September 9, 2010 edition (Vol. 67, No. 5) of the journal Neuron. "This is the first time we have a new memory and learning gene that lies outside what has been considered the most fundamental ...

Muscle wasting in cancer does not spare the heart

2010-09-08
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The wasting disease associated with some cancers that is typically seen affecting skeletal muscles can also cause significant damage to the heart, new research in mice suggests. Before now, cachexia, characterized by muscle wasting and dramatic weight loss, was believed to spare the heart. But an Ohio State University study showed that the condition reduces heart function and changes the heart muscle structure in mice with colon cancer. Previous studies have suggested that cachexia is responsible for between one-fifth and one-third of all cancer deaths. ...

Study: 3 out of 4 cats will wear a collar, making it worth a try

2010-09-08
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Almost three out of four cats in a new study wore collars consistently during a six-month study, suggesting that most cats will tolerate a collar even if their owners are skeptical about its success. In fact, in almost 60 percent of cases, the animals' tolerance of collars exceeded owners' expectations that their cat would keep the collar on without much trouble. The researchers suggest that, armed with this data, veterinarians should include a discussion about the importance of identification during annual wellness exams of pet cats. They also say ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

[Press-News.org] Reading food labels, combined with exercise, can lead to weight loss