Warning labels that explain how much exercise is needed to run off the calories in junk food are far more effective than traditional counts, say researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA. It was found that teenagers who were shown the warnings on fizzy drink cans – which stated an hour’s run would be needed to get rid of the calories – were half as likely to drink them. Printing a ‘physical activity equivalent’ on unhealthy drinks and food could dramatically reduce their popularity, according to researchers in the American Journal of Public Health. Health expert Dr Sarah Bleich claimed that people “generally underestimate” just how many calories junk food and fizzy drinks contain.
Research results showed that providing calorie-related information did cause sales to drop by over a third (40 percent), but that the physical activity equivalent was most effective, reducing soft drink sales among teens by half. Study author Dr Sara Bleich said: “People generally underestimate the number of calories in the foods and beverages they consume. Providing easily understandable caloric information-particularly in the form of a physical activity equivalent, such as running-may reduce calorie intake from sugar-sweetened beverages and increase water consumption among low-income adolescents.”
