- Many products on the market are high in protein, or ingredients such as oats, and claim to be free of damaging sugars and high fructose corn syrup
- But they 'simply lure the weight-conscious into false sense of security'
- Means these consumers eat more and exercise less, leading to weight gain
They are marketed as a healthy alternative to chocolate and crisps and a guilt-free way to stave off hunger pangs.
But so-called 'fitness foods' may actually do more harm than good, a study has warned.
Many products on the market are high in protein, or ingredients such as oats, and claim to be free of damaging sugars.
But experts say they simply lure weight-conscious consumers into a false sense of security.
Essentially,
the health claims, or 'fitness branding', encourage us to eat more of
the product - and exercise less - therefore jeapordising any weight loss
plan - and even triggering weight gain.
Foods that market themselves as having
health or fitness benefits - such as protein bars (pictured) - may
actually do more harm than good, as we are more likely to overindulge on
them
Unless
a food was forbidden by a person's diet, researchers found giving the
product some kind of health or fitness branding meant more of it was
eaten.
'Branding
the product as "fit" increased consumption for those trying to watch
their weight,' reported the study authors, writing in the Journal of Marketing Research.
They
continued: 'To make matters worse, these eaters also reduced their
physical activity, apparently seeing the '"fit" food as a substitute for
exercise.
For
the study, the researchers, from Pennsylvania State University
and Technische Universität in Munich, investigated the effects of
fitness-branded food in 'restrained eaters'.
Participants were given trail-mix style snacks marked either 'Fitness' or 'Trail Mix'.
To make the 'Fitness' snack appear even healthier, a picture of running shoes was added to the packaging.
Participants
were told to pretend they were at home helping themselves to an
afternoon snack, and were given eight minutes to taste and rate the
product.
Another
phase of the study gave them the option to exercise as vigorously as
they liked on a stationary bicycle after eating the snack.
People who ate a lot of so-called healthy snacks made less effort to exercise, the study found
For those who were specifically trying to watch their weight, the effect of labeling was significant.
Overall, it caused them to eat far more of the snack marked 'Fitness'.
Futhermore,
snackers eating the 'Fitness' brand also burned fewer calories during
the exercise phase - presumably because they felt they didn't need to
work as hard.
They
key, say the researchers, is to get brands to remind consumers exercise
is still necessary - or place more emphasis on monitoring fitness cues
in marketing'.
For
example, a brand 'could offer gym vouchers or exercise tips instead of
just implying fitness via a label or image', the say.
The
study comes after leading science expert Dr Michael Moseley warned last
year that going to to the gym can actually cause weight gain.
The
key problem is that we reward ourselves with 'treats' after exercise -
or have the 'I've been to the gym, so I can eat what I want mentality',
he said.
'Exercise is a good way to keep weight off - but it's not a good way to lose it.
'Going to the gym will burn calories - but way less than we think.
'1lb
of fat is 3,500 calories - and fat is more energy-dense than dynamite' -
so to burn 1lb of fat you'd need to run about 38 miles.'
He cited the example of a muffin and latte - which many of us underestimate the calorie content of.
'If you run one mile, you burn roughly 100 calories,' he said.
'A muffin contains around 500 calories - so you would have to run for five miles or walk for 10 miles to burn it off.'
And
when it comes to a latte - which has around 150 calories - it would be
1.5 miles of running or a three-mile (hour long) walk.
'That is why people never lose weight going to the gym in the long-run.'
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