Calorie counts on restaurant menus show no impact on eating habits: study

Chain restaurants in the U.S. who display calorie counts on their menu had little to no effect on the eating habits of people, according to a new study.

Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center studied more than 7,500 survey responses from consumers eating at New York City and some New Jersey cities fast food chains including Burger King, KFC, McDonald's and Wendy's. They compared the receipts and responses in other places in the U.S. that had calorie counts in their menus and in places that didn't.

The results of the study published in the journal Health Affairs found that there was no impact on the caloric consumption of people regardless of menu labeling. According to the study, the calorie consumption from January 2013 to June 2014 averaged between 804 and 839 calories per meal at restaurants with calorie labels and 802 to 839 calories per meal at restaurants without it.

"Our study suggests that menu labeling, in particular at fast-food restaurants, will not on its own lead to any lasting reductions in calories consumed," said lead investigator Brian Elbel, associate professor in the Department of Population Health at Langone Medical Center, in a news release as reported by Health Day.

Menu labeling was first introduced in New York in 2008 and according to Time, the amount of calories averaged per meal during that year largely remained the same. However, people who noticed the labeling diminished over the years.

According to one of the authors, menu labeling could help combat obesity and encourage healthy eating.

"If other chain restaurants follow this same trend once mandatory menu labeling goes into effect, it could significantly improve the restaurant environment for consumers," said Julia Wolfson from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health."This could get consumers to eat healthier without having to change their behavior, something that is a very difficult thing to do and sustain."

According to the report by WebMD, the menu labeling can be marketed in conjunction with "marketing regulations" or "price subsidies for healthy foods." The outlet adds that the research could help push the Affordable Care Act by December 2016.

"Labels may yet work at non-fast-food, family-style restaurant chains, or for specific groups of people with a greater need than most to consume fewer calories and eat more healthily. We will have to wait and see while continuing to monitor and analyze the policy's impact," said Brian Elbel, a study researcher from Langone Medical Center.