Cut Portion Sizes To Fight Obesity, Urges FDA-Funded Report

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Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness;  Sports Medicine / Fitness;  Public Health
Article Date: 03 Jun 2006 - 8:00 PDT

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An FDA-funded report recommends that food-serving establishments cut portion sizes in a drive to combat America's growing obesity problem. The report, titled 'Keystone Forum on Away-From-Home Foods - Opportunities for Preventing Weight Gain and Obesity' suggests that the USA's 900,000 food serving establishments could make a significant contribution towards fighting obesity.

64% of Americans are considered to be overweight, 30% are obese. 15% of 6-9 year-olds are overweight - twice as many as twenty years ago. Obesity/overweight raises the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes type 2 and some cancers. According to the report, health care expenses in the USA resulting from the consequences of obesity/overweight total $117 billion a year - the equivalent of about 9 million Ford Focus cars each year.

The USA's favourite meals when eating out are burgers, fries and pizza, says the report. The average US citizen consumes over 30% of his/her daily calorie intake away from home. In the year 2000 the average person consumed 300 more calories per day than in 1985. Since 2000 total daily calorie intake has continued to go up. 46% of the average American's food budget is spent on food consumed away from home.

Although the report does not blame eating establishments for being solely responsible for the growing obesity problem, it says there is definitely a connection. In other words, the types of foods and portion sizes in eating establishments are significant contributory factors.

The report says that restaurants could:

-- reduce portion sizes
-- serve dishes with fewer calories
-- offer a wider variety of healthy choices on their menus
-- market healthier options
-- include more fruit and vegetables with meals
-- tell consumers how many calories each meal has

Various studies have shown that most people seriously underestimate how many calories fast-food restaurant meals contain. If people knew how many calories each dish had, it is more likely that more people would start eating more carefully.

Some people are calling for legislation that would make it compulsory for restaurants to provide calorie information for every dish. Providing this data is not as simple as it may sound. Finding out how many calories one dish has costs money - at least $100. If a menu has over 30 dishes the costs start to pile up. If the establishment likes to vary the contents of its menu regularly, costs will be even higher. On the other hand, for large chains whose outlets have identical menus all over the country, the relative costs would be fairly low.

Having calorie information available would give consumers an opportunity to take some control over their own weight management.

Acting FDA Commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach M.D. said that the report's recommendations might help industry members, educators, researchers, government and health care professionals take steps to bring down the obesity rate and its health and economic consequences.

Click here to download the report (PDF - 740 kb)

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today