Good Lifestyle

The marketing of the food is so ubiquitous, we almost not notice it - all the ads of everythinggrocery stores to magazines with billboards, and even on certain gas pumps, but it turns out that it may be successful a littletoo much good.

A new study in theJournal of Consumer Psychology I looked at how reactive people are food marketing messages and if their buying habits may synchronize according to weight. Happens, it's true.

The researchers followed three groups: people with severe obesity before and after weight loss surgery; People with obesity that did not surgically have; and people ranked like a normal weight. Each group has been shown a width of branded and advertising messages and asked to estimate the calorie content in food and drinks at the origin. (In touch:The 7 healthiest foods to eat right now)

Everyone in the study underestimated the calorie content, but the effect was greater for people with obesity. To deepen the question of whether this has had an impact on actions, researchers have asked participants to choose some of the French french fries based on a different wording. For example, the amount of chips in a "mini" size was actually the same as the one labeled "small".

"This is a marketing tactic that further portions seem more reasonable," says Senior Researcher Yann Cornil, PhD, Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business."People with obesity were more likely to follow this labeling versus Actual information about the amount and that this could lead them to eat more than they had anticipated."

On the other hand, those of the normal weight group were much less sensitive to this marketing and tended to choose their part of fries based on the actual quantity rather than on labeling.

The good news, the corpole adds, is thatWeight loss seems to have an effect on those who are more subject to these marketing tips. The group of participants who took weight loss surgery became less responsive to this marketing over time. One year after surgery, the amount of reactivity was almost the same as that of normal weight group.

Remember that the reasons are complex, says Cornil. For example, people who undergo weight loss have several physiological changes, including hormonal changes and improvements tointestinal health"That could make them less likely to respond to food marketing. At the same time, they usually have a higher desire to change their habits and this could make them less prone to unhealthy food messaging.

Whatever the reason, it is useful to recall that food marketing is exactly that: advertising designed to make you eat more, all the time. And as you lose weight, it seems to lose its power.

For more, be sure to check10 worst snacks that should never be in your pantry.