Saturday, September 28, 2013

Using food labels and other guidance helps you control weight and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, FDA study finds

Food labels and dietary guidance help consumers make healthier choices and slim down, based on a report for the U.S. Food.

The FDA's Joanna Parks used data in the National Nutrition and health Examination Survey to estimate the effects of labels and help with the intake of 18 nutrients. She learned that people who used the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels consumed about 120 fewer calories each day, enough to clarify at the very least an 11-pound improvement in body mass between them and those who didn't utilize the information.
Parks also learned that using health claims, ingredient lists and serving-size information appears to reduce chance of heart disease, including hypertension, which help weight-control efforts and taking advantage of the MyPyramid meal panel lessens the average daily intake of cholesterol.

"Unfortunately," Parks writes, "it appears that many individuals don't use anything but these tools and knowledge after they have developed diet-related diseases that necessitate alterations in lifestyle and diet."

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