People underestimate the calorie content of large meals by 23-38%

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010 11:11 am Email this article
People underestimated the calorie content of large fast food meals they had ordered by an average of 38 percent, but guessed within 3 percent about the calorie content of small meals according to a study from Brian Wansink from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA. Subjects of Study #1

Subjects: 105 people eating lunch

The study involved 105 people who were eating lunch in fast food restaurants in three medium-sized cities in the Midwest United States.

 

Study #2

Study #2: 40 graduate students underestimate large meals by 23%, overestimate small meals by 3%

In a second study, which involved 40 undergraduate students who, on average were normal weight with an average body mass index (BMI) of 23, underestimated the calorie content of large fast food meals by 22.6 percent, but guessed quite accurately with small fast food meals, overestimating the calorie content by 3 percent.

 

Conclusion

Conclusion: Overweight people underestimate calorie content of meals because they eat larger meals

The researchers concluded that overweight people tend to underestimate the calorie content of meals they eat because they tend to eat large meals.

“Greater underestimation of calories by overweight persons is a consequence of their tendency to consume larger meals,” Wansink concluded.

“Calorie underestimation is related to meal size, not body size.”

REFERENCE

Wansink B, Chandon P. Meal size, not body size, explains errors in estimating the calorie content of meals. Ann Intern Med. 2006 Sep 5, 145(5):326-32.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-7801, USA.

REFERENCE

Wansink B, Chandon P. Meal size, not body size, explains errors in estimating the calorie content of meals. Ann Intern Med. 2006 Sep 5, 145(5):326-32.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Brian Wansink, PhD
Cornell Food and Brand Lab
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY, 14853-7801
USA
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Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Calorie intake, Underreporting

• Wansink, Brian (studies done by)