United Press International: Supersized fast-food leads to obesity        Home  |  Products  |  Photos  |  About  |  Contact  |  Press  |  Terms           Supersized fast-food leads to obesity By Steve MitchellUPI Medical CorrespondentPublished 6/18/2002 4:58 PMView printer-friendly version WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) -- The popular fast-food restaurant practice of "supersizing" -- increasing portion size for just a few cents more -- tacks on significantly more calories to meals and contributes to the U.S. epidemic of obesity, consumer groups reported Tuesday.

 The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, a coalition of more than 200 health organizations, discussed the dangers of supersized meals at a news briefing, adding that the supersizing practices also has spread to convenience stores and movie theaters.

 Supersizing "encourages overeating and (is) contributing to skyrocketing rates of obesity in adults and kids," said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

 "We are literally eating ourselves into the grave," said Carol Tucker Forman, director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America. She noted that obesity is associated with increased risks for heart disease, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes.

 The NANA report states increasing to a bigger meal size costs relatively little but results in significantly more calories. For example, going from a 7-Eleven "Gulp" sized drink to a "Double Gulp" costs only 42 percent more but tacks on 450 more calories, or 300 percent additional calories. 

 Switching from a small bag of popcorn in a movie theater to a medium bag costs only 71 cents extra but adds 500 calories.

 The practice of "bundling" or adding on fries and a soft drink to a fast-food sandwich to make a "value meal" leads to some of the largest increases in calories, the report states. 

 A McDonald's "quarter pounder with cheese" large extra value meal contains 490 more calories than the regular sandwich with small french fries and small Coca-Cola -- and it costs 8 cents more to buy the lower calorie meal.

 "It costs more to get less," said Melanie Polk, director of nutrition education at the American Institute for Cancer Research. "That's wrong. That's backwards, and it's bad for our health."

 The National Restaurant Association rejected the consumer groups' claims. "It's overly simplistic to blame a food or portion size on obesity when ... it's an overall healthy lifestyle that needs to be adopted" to keep weight in check, Sheila Cohn, a registered dietician and nutrition coordinator for the association, told United Press International. 

 "Making people feel bad about what they eat is not the way to promote healthy lifestyles," Cohn added.

 Caloric intake per person has not increased over the last few years, but physical activity has declined during that period, which is the real culprit behind increasing rates of obesity, she said.

 To battle the effects of supersizing on the waistband, consumers can "say small, say half and share," Polk suggested. "Always ask for the smallest size (they) have ... It will be more than ample."

 Polk recommended that consumers refuse offers to supersize, and if they do opt for the larger portions, they should share them with a friend. 

 "Until we eat a little less and exercise a little more, we are not going to curtail this obesity epidemic," she said.

 To make consumers more aware of the calories contained in supersize portions, the consumer groups are urging federal, state and local legislators to require fast-food restaurants to put listings of the calorie content of their menu items in plain view, Wootan said. 

 Asked if she really believed this would make a difference, Wootan said most Americans are concerned about their health, but they "don't realize just how many calories they are getting when they eat out." 

 

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