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

A new paradox on our plate?

Knowing the nutritional content of foods doesn't equate to healthy eating

2012-03-29
(Press-News.org) Quebec City -- A study by Université Laval's Maurice Doyon and French and American researchers shows that U.S. consumers know surprisingly more about the fat content of the foods they buy than their French counterparts. Paradoxically, the obesity rate is nearly three times higher in the United States (35%) than it is in France (12%). In light of these results, published in a recent edition of the British Food Journal, the researchers cast doubt on the notion that providing nutritional information is an effective way to encourage healthy eating habits.

Dr. Doyon of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, along with his colleagues Laure Saulais, Bernard Ruffieux (France), and Harry Kaiser (United States) had over 300 French, Quebec, and American consumers answer a questionnaire designed to test what they knew about dietary fats. Questions dealt with the amount and types of fat contained in various foods and what the nutritional recommendations are regarding these fats. Participants were asked to answer "Don't know" rather than hazard a guess.

The first finding: French respondents admitted to not knowing the answer to 43% of the questions, while the equivalents for Quebec and the United States were 13% and 4% respectively. Fifty-five percent of French respondents said they did not know the percentage of fat in whole milk, compared with 5% for Quebec and 4% for the United States. The same trend was observed for butter, margarine, and vegetable oils.

The second finding: when participants tried to answer, Americans were most likely to be right, followed by Quebecers, with the French bringing up the rear. And 6% of Quebecers, 9% of Americans, and 17% of the French did not know the recommendations regarding saturated and unsaturated fats in a healthy diet.

"The difference among respondents' knowledge," said Professor Doyon, "essentially indicates that the French don't take much of an interest in the nutrients contained in the foods they eat. The information is on the package, but they don't read it."

According to the researchers, the correlation found between extensive nutritional knowledge and high obesity rates suggests that focusing on detailed nutritional information may not be the best strategy for encouraging healthy eating habits.

"It's an approach that presents information to consumers in a broken down form," suggested Dr. Doyon. "This may lead them to think of food in terms of its fat, carbohydrate, and caloric content and lose sight of the whole picture. It might be better to focus on what constitutes a healthy, complete, and balanced meal."

### Information:

Maurice Doyon
Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences
Université Laval 418-656-2131 ext. 4546
Maurice.Doyon@eac.ulaval.ca



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Atlanta Hardwood Flooring Recommends Installing Hardwood Floors in Winter

2012-03-29
It may come as a surprise to some, but the experts at Atlanta Hardwood Flooring often recommend installing hardwood floors in Atlanta during the winter. This is not to say that hardwood floors cannot be correctly and successfully installed during the summer months, but the cool dry atmosphere of winter has its advantages. Hardwood flooring is a natural product, and just like the trees that it comes from, it is affected by moisture. Humid summers and dry, cold spells in the winter create a need for Atlanta hardwood flooring contractors to know what they are doing and ...

GPs should advise drinkers to keep a daily record of their drinking

2012-03-29
The new UK alcohol strategy includes a plan to ensure that General Practitioners (GPs) advise heavy drinkers to cut down (The Government's Alcohol Strategy, 23 March 2012, downloadable from http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/). There is good evidence that this can reduce how much people drink. The big question is, what should GPs say to their patients? A new study published online by the scientific journal Addiction analysed the advice given by GPs in all the major clinical trials evaluating this kind of advice, looking for common components linked to the largest ...

Rhode Island Hospital study identifies the danger of grill brushes

2012-03-29
VIDEO: David Grand, M.D., a radiologist at Rhode Island Hospital, discusses a recent paper in which he and his colleagues identify a potential health threat of wire grill brushes. Click here for more information. PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Hospital physicians identified six cases of accidental ingestion of wire grill brush bristles that required endoscopic or surgical removal. The paper calls attention to the need for the public and physicians to be aware of this potential ...

A.C. White Relocations is Proud to be an Environmentally Friendly Atlanta Moving Company

A.C. White Relocations is Proud to be an Environmentally Friendly Atlanta Moving Company
2012-03-29
Atlanta moving company A.C. White Relocations is proud to be a part of the environmentally friendly movement, and is one of the few Atlanta movers to have an ongoing green initiative in place. The two main focuses of the Atlanta moving company's efforts to help the environment are transportation and recycling initiatives that help reduce the company's and its employees' environmental footprint. A.C. White Relocations, an Atlanta moving company, is committed to reducing its carbon footprint in regards to transportation. In this vein, they have enacted a "no idling ...

Penn researchers call for a re-examination of transplant waitlist prioritization

2012-03-29
PHILADELPHIA – Patients with end-stage liver disease complicated by the most common type of liver cancer – hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) – are less likely to die or become too sick for a transplant while waiting for a new liver than those with other complications of end-stage liver disease, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The investigators say their findings should prompt a re-examination of the criteria used to prioritize liver transplant candidates. Only three percent of patients with this common form ...

Consumers misunderstand 'cruelty-free' labeled products, MU, Oregon researchers find

2012-03-29
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Based on a recent study, University of Missouri and Oregon researchers believe a legal definition for what constitutes "cruelty-free" labeled products should be determined and manufacturers should be required to abide by the legal use of the label. Many consumers intentionally buy products manufactured in ways that do not exploit child labor or cause minimal harm to animals or the environment. Many businesses, such as shampoo, cosmetic, fragrance and pharmaceutical companies, use the term cruelty-free to attract buyers, giving consumers the impression that ...

Study finds paramedics skilled in identifying strokes

2012-03-29
MAYWOOD, Ill. - If a paramedic suspects a patient is having a stroke, the paramedic is probably right, a Loyola University Medical Center study has found. Researchers examined the records of 5,300 patients who were brought to Loyola's emergency room by emergency medical services (EMS). Paramedics were able to identify stroke patients with a 99.3 percent specificity. (In diagnosing disease, a high specificity rate indicates there's a high probability the patient actually has the disease.) "If a paramedic thinks a patient is having a stroke, that should be a reliable indicator ...

Stopping a moving target: Novel compound halts brain tumor spread, improves treatment in animals

2012-03-29
Researchers from Emory and the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed a new treatment approach that appears to halt the spread of cancer cells into normal brain tissue in animal models. Treating invasive brain tumors with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation has improved clinical outcomes, but few patients survive longer than two years after diagnosis. The effectiveness of treatment is limited by the tumor's aggressive invasion of healthy brain tissue, which restricts chemotherapy access to the cancer cells and complicates surgical removal of the tumor. The ...

Jumeirah Group Announces the Winner of its 2nd Arts and Culture Award for the Luxury Sector

2012-03-29
Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding, is proud to announce the winner of its second Arts and Culture Award winner, presented at the 16th Annual Luxury Briefing Awards, celebrating the best in the luxury industry and taking place last week at The Corinthia Hotel in London. The Jumeirah Group Arts and Culture Award celebrates leading international enterprises that are supporting artists and advancing artistic practice through innovative creative collaborations in the business arena. The second instalment of the award ...

Discovery of foot fossil confirms 2 human ancestor species co-existed 3.4 million years ago

2012-03-29
Cleveland . . . A team of scientists has announced the discovery of a 3.4 million-year-old partial foot from the Woranso-Mille area of the Afar region of Ethiopia. The fossil foot did not belong to a member of "Lucy's" species, Australopithecus afarensis, the famous early human ancestor. Research on this new specimen indicates that more than one species of early human ancestor existed between 3 and 4 million years ago with different methods of locomotion. The analysis will be published in the March 29, 2012 issue of the journal Nature. The partial foot was found in ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Consistent policy, not “patchwork” regulations, recommended for the coexistence of crops

LEDs shed light on efficient tomato cultivation

2025 Ig Physics Nobel Prize for perfect pasta sauce

Bright squeezed light in the kilohertz frequency band

Water flowed on ancient asteroid

AI model offers accurate and explainable insights to support autism assessment

Process for dealing with sexual misconduct by doctors requires major reform

Severe pregnancy sickness raises risk of mental health conditions by over 50%

Early humans may have walked from Türkiye to mainland Europe, new groundbreaking research suggests

New study shows biochar’s electrical properties can influence rice field methane emissions

Guangdong faces largest chikungunya outbreak on record

Tirzepatide improves blood sugar control in children aged 10-17 years with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on existing therapies (SURPASS-PEDS trial)

An old drug, in a low dose, shown to be safe and effective in preventing progression of type 1 diabetes in children and young people (MELD-ATG trial)

Study reports potential effects of verapamil in slowing progression of type 1 diabetes

Fresh hope for type 1 diabetes as daily pill that slows onset confirms promise at 2-year follow-up

New estimates predict over 4 million missing people who would be alive in 2025 if not for inadequate type 1 diabetes care

So what should we call this – a grue jay?

Chicago Quantum Exchange-led coalition advances to final round in NSF Engine competition

Study identifies candidates for therapeutic targets in pediatric germ cell tumors

Media alert: The global burden of CVD

Study illuminates contributing factors to blood vessel leakage

What nations around the world can learn from Ukraine

Mixing tree species does not always make forests more drought-resilient

Public confidence in U.S. health agencies slides, fueled by declines among Democrats

“Quantum squeezing” a nanoscale particle for the first time

El Niño spurs extreme daily rain events despite drier monsoons in India

Two studies explore the genomic diversity of deadly mosquito vectors

Zebra finches categorize their vocal calls by meaning

Analysis challenges conventional wisdom about partisan support for US science funding

New model can accurately predict a forest’s future

[Press-News.org] A new paradox on our plate?
Knowing the nutritional content of foods doesn't equate to healthy eating