Calorie labels on menus could worsen eating disorders

Calorie labels on restaurant menus have a negative impact on people with eating disorders, according to a new study published in BMJ Public Health. The study, the first of its kind, led by researchers at King's College London, found that people diagnosed with an eating disorder changed their behavior when presented with a menu with calorie labels.

This included avoiding restaurants, triggering eating disorder thoughts and paying more attention to calorie labels as identified by eye-tracking research. The study found that some people with eating disorders reported that seeing menu labels reinforced their eating disorder beliefs.

The study assessed existing research to help build a picture of the impact of nutrition labels on menus on people with lived experience of eating disorders or disordered eating. It looked at 16 studies conducted in the UK, US, Canada and Saudi Arabia, which included 8,074 participants in total.

The study highlights that people with eating disorders may feel that eating disorders are perceived as less important in light of obesity prevention policies.

However, physical health cannot be measured by a single indicator such as weight. Some argue that calorie labeling can be seen as a blunt instrument to solve a complex problem and that people with eating disorders may be at a loss.

Food labelling came into force in England in 2022. Restaurants, takeaways and cafes with 250 or more employees must display the calories of the food and drinks they sell on menus, online menus and takeaway platforms. This was aimed at curbing rising levels of obesity. The US and Canada have also made calorie labelling mandatory. However, few policies targeting obesity have considered the potential impact on eating disorders.

Eating disorders charity Beat estimates that at least 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder. The number of people admitted to hospital with an eating disorder eating disorder has increased by about 7 % each year since 2005-2006.

Lead author Dr Tom Jewell, senior lecturer in mental health nursing at King's College London, said: "Our study highlights that people with lived experience of eating disorders are frustrated at being excluded from the debate over calorie labels.

“Striking a balance between the positive and harmful impacts of calorie labels on menus is vital in any public health policy. Policymakers should consider the impact on both obesity and eating disorders when making decisions about nutrition labeling. 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 to people with eating disorders. »

Co-author Dr Nora Trompeter, a research fellow at University College London, said: "Our study provides an important addition to the database on calorie labels. In general, there is much interest in the effectiveness of policies to reduce obesity, but it is also critical to determine whether these policies inadvertently harm people with eating disorders. Our study also shows that more research is needed to fully understand the impact of calorie labels on people with eating disorders. For example, none of the studies included young people."