Quantity Not Quality of Food,
Linked to Obesity
New survey links food portions to the growing
epidemic of obesity in this county and abroad.
The steadily growing size of the food portions
served at restaurants and at home is one of the
causes of obesity in this country, according to
a new survey by the American Institute for Cancer
Research.
The Washington-based nonprofit group argues that
its data, based on random phone interviews with
1,011 adults in February, and recent scientific
studies point to a direct correlation between
portion size and obesity, despite other studies
and restaurant-industry claims that the two are
unrelated.
The survey found that Americans know alarmingly
little about appropriate food portions and don't
consider the subject important to weight management.
Also "of particular concern" to the
group was the finding that 30 percent of people
surveyed base the amount they consume on how much
they are served. The institute is troubled by
the epidemic of obesity, officials said, because
it has been established in numerous studies as
a significant risk factor in the development of
cancer and other diseases. The debate over what
we eat and how little we exercise -- and which
is more to blame for growing waistlines -- is
growing more intense and scientifically based
with each new study.
The institute says individuals bear the ultimate
responsibility for what they eat but asserts that
food manufacturers and the restaurant industry,
and fast-food chains in particular, are distorting
what the typical American believes is an appropriate
amount to eat. Larger servings offered in restaurants
and vending machines, the group says, lead people
to consume more at all times.
"What they're doing in restaurants is spilling
over into their homes," said Barbara J. Rolls,
a nutrition researcher at Pennsylvania State University,
who spoke at the news conference releasing the
survey to outline her studies on the subject.
What people see in restaurants "looks normal
to them," she said.
Several studies have documented the expanding
serving sizes of commercially available foods.
One published last year in the Journal of the
American Dietetic Association, for example, found
that an average serving of french fries has risen
from to 7.1 ounces, from 2.4 ounces in 1955.
The restaurant industry denies a link between
bigger portion sizes and obesity. The real culprit
is "our sedentary society," said Steven
C. Anderson, president and chief executive of
the National Restaurant Association. He cited
a recent study by researchers at the University
of North Carolina showing that caloric intake
per capita has remained the same for many years,
while exercise rates have declined. That study
was funded by the National Soft Drink Association.
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