Using food labels and other guidance helps you control weight and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, FDA study finds

Food labels and dietary guidance help consumers make healthier choices and lose weight, according to a study for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA's Joanna Parks used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate the effect of labels and guidance on the intake of 18 nutrients. She found that people who used the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels consumed about 120 fewer calories per day, enough to explain at least an 11-pound difference in body weight between them and those who didn't use the information.

Parks also found that using health claims, ingredient lists and serving-size information appears to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, and help weight-control efforts; and using the MyPyramid meal panel decreases the average daily intake of cholesterol.

"Unfortunately," Parks writes, "it appears that many individuals only use these tools and information once they have developed diet-related diseases that necessitate changes in diet and lifestyle." A PDF of her paper can be downloaded here.