What we believe about a food’s ingredients may have a biological effect on our bodies above and beyond the actual nutrient content. That is the conclusion from a study published in the journal Health Psychology, which was recently covered by Alix Spiegel at the NPR Health blog.
The authors conducted an experiment in which they fed the same 380 calorie milk shake to two different groups of subjects. The first group was lied to, and were told (via a label) that the shake was a “sensible” 140 calories. The second group was also lied to, but in the opposite manner: they were told (via a label) that the shake was an “indulgent” 620 calories.
The researchers measured the levels of a hormone, ghrelin, before during and after the label experiment. The authors found that people consuming the “indulgent” labeled shake experienced a significant increase in ghrelin just before consumption (in anticipation) and then a significant decline in ghrelin after consumption. The change, the authors argue, is consistent with that typically observed after eating a big meal. By contrast, the level of ghrelin was flat before and after eating the “sensible” shake. All this is in spite of the fact that the two shakes were exactly the same in every way except for the labels.
Related on the SLP
Read the full, original article: What we think about a label may be as important as the label itself
