People who read labels weigh less

• Tweet

LUGO, Spain, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Women who read food labels weigh nearly 9 pounds less than women who didn't read labels, researcher in Spain said.

Lead author Maria Loureiro of the University of Santiago de Compostela and colleagues at the University of Tennessee, the University of Arkansas and the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural Finance Research used data from the annual National Health Interview Survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some 25,640 observations were collected on health, eating and shopping habits in the survey.

The study, published in Agricultural Economics journal, found more women read labels than men, and the smoking population paid much less attention to label information.

"We know that this information can be used as a mechanism to prevent obesity," Loureiro said in a statement. "Campaigns and public policy can be designed to promote the use of nutritional labeling on menus at restaurants and other public establishments for the benefit of those who usually eat out."