Calorie labels on menus could be making eating disorders worse, according to new research.
The review, published in the British Medical Journal Public Health, examined 16 existing studies from the UK, US, Canada and Saudi Arabia which included 8,074 participants, with a focus on how nutritional labels on menus impacted people with a lived experience of eating disorders.
The researchers found evidence suggesting there is a “cause for concern regarding negative impacts, particularly for those with restrictive eating disorders” and called for further research.
They said such impacts included avoiding restaurants based on the menus, triggering eating disorder thoughts and paying more attention to calorie labels, as identified by eye-tracking research.
The review highlighted one American study which showed people with anorexia or bulimia selected food with an average of 550 calories when they were given calorie labels, compared to 1,615 calories when they didn’t have calorie labels.
In another study in England, researchers found 55% of participants with an eating disorder reported that calorie labelling may worsen their eating disorder symptoms.
The academics involved in the review said more research was needed to better understand the impact calorie labelling was having on people with eating disorders, rather than the focus being predominantly on tackling obesity.
A law introducing calories to menus in restaurants, takeaways and cafes with more than 250 staff came into force in England in 2022 in a bid to help reduce obesity levels.
But recent studies have raised doubts over its effectiveness, with a Cochrane review published earlier this month suggesting calorie labels on menus and food packaging lead to people eating one less crisp than usual – though experts said that was a “small but potentially meaningful effect on people’s food…
