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The effect of information about fat content on food consumption in overweight/obese and lean people.

Roefs A, Jansen A

Faculty of Psychology (UNS 40), Department of Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. a.roefs@psychology.unimaas.nl

This study investigated how fat content labels (high-fat vs. low-fat) influence milkshake consumption in obese/overweight people (n = 23) as compared to lean people (n = 21). Participants 'tasted' two isocaloric milkshakes in a staged taste test on two occasions. On one occasion the milkshakes were labeled high-fat, whereas on the other occasion they were labeled low-fat. The label-effect was in the expected direction of less (estimated future) consumption in the high-fat label condition, but was not significant for the current consumption and not different between groups. Unexpectedly, order (label high-fat first vs. label low-fat first) had a large effect on consumption.

Published 5 November 2004 in Appetite, 43(3): 319-22.
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