Calorie labels on menus may trigger eating disorder behaviors, warns study

The use of calorie labels on restaurant menus “negatively” impacts people who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder, a study led by the UK’s King’s College London has revealed. Such individuals can also feel that eating disorders are perceived as “less important” in light of obesity prevention policies.

The British charity Beat describes eating disorders as serious mental illnesses where individuals use disordered eating — such as food restriction, binge eating, misusing laxatives, or excessive exercise — to cope with difficult emotions or situations.

Beat estimates that at least 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder, with hospital admissions rising by about 7% annually since 2005-2006.

The study found that some people affected with the condition reported that seeing menu labels “reinforced” their eating disorder beliefs.

While another recent study examined the impact of calorie labeling on general consumer behavior, this research specifically focused on individuals with eating disorders.

“Our study highlights that people with lived experience of eating disorders are frustrated at being left out of the conversation around calorie labels,” says senior author Dr. Tom Jewell, lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at King’s College London.

“A recent review found that calorie labeling has a modest effect on people’s behavior, but this needs to be counterbalanced with the potential harm it does for people with eating disorders.”

The researchers urge policymakers to consider the impact of nutritional labeling on both obesity and eating disorders when deciding policies.The researchers reviewed 16 studies from the UK, US, Canada, and Saudi Arabia and found that calorie labels may lead these people to avoid going to restaurants with labeled menus, increase their focus on calorie counts, and trigger eating disorder thoughts and potentially harmful behaviors.

The findings are published in British Medical Journal Public Health.

Thinking beyond obesity

England enforced labeling to depict the calories of food served in restaurants, takeaways, and cafes with more than or equal to 250 employees in 2022. This includes displaying the food’s calorie content in kilocalories (kcal), referencing the portion size, and including a daily calorie guideline (e.g., adults need around 2000 kcal per day).

While the effort was an attempt to curb rising obesity levels, the researchers believe policymakers should also see eating disorders as a concern.

“Striking a balance between the positive and harmful impacts of calorie labels on menus is vital in any public health policies. Policymakers should consider the impact on both obesity and eating disorders when making decisions about nutrition labeling,” asserts Dr. Jewell.

The study’s co-author, Dr. Nora Trompeter, agrees there is a lot of focus on whether policies effectively reduce obesity. She flags that it is “critical to investigate whether these policies inadvertently harm people with eating disorders.”

“Our review also shows that more research is needed to fully understand the impact of calorie labels on individuals with eating disorders. For example, none of the studies included young people.”