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

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. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.