Sugary food in view? 11kg heavier - study

The research indicates a huge correlation between what's on your kitchen bench and how much you weigh. Photo / iStock

The old adage 'out of sight, out of mind' appears to ring true in light of findings from a new diet study.

Conducted by the Cornell University in the US, researchers found people who have sugary cereals and fizzy drinks on their bench often weigh as much as 11kg more than those who don't.

And for those who kept healthy snacks such as bowls of fruit out, they could expect to weigh around 6kg less than participants who didn't have fruit within arm's reach.

Food psychologist, author and director of the university's Food and Brand Lab, Brian Wansink led the study and told Live Science the research indicates a "huge correlation between what was sitting out and how much [participants] weighed".

In addition to the knowledge that eating fruit and vegetables is key to a healthy diet, the study reveals how a person's "eating environment" affects their eating habits, said Wansink.

The study was conducted via an online survey of nearly 500 women in the US, focusing on mothers of at least two children because, as the researchers explain, this is the demographic most at risk of weight gain.

Women were asked to look around their kitchens and report which of the following food items and appliances were sitting out on their bench tops:

Cookies
Candy
Packaged food (chips, crackers, cereal)
A fruit bowl
A toaster
A blender or food processer

Then they were asked to report their weight and height (from which the researchers calculated their body mass indexes, or BMIs).

Of all the items, only fruit bowls were associated with low BMIs. In fact, the correlation between food items and appliances on benches and higher BMIs was so pronounced the researches expanded their survey and conducted a second experiment with a further 300 people.

The results were similar, showing study participants whose weight was in the normal range were significantly more likely than obese participants to have fresh fruit in the kitchen. And normal-weight participants were also less likely than obese participants to have fizzy drinks sitting out.

The case for candy

An interesting twist in the study was the revelation that baked goods on bench tops were not closely associated with higher BMIs for women.

Similarly, having candy on the bench was not associated with soaring BMIs either. Those who did keep candy on the counter only weighed 1 to 1.3 kg more than those who didn't leave candy out.

Wansink offered an explanation for the finding: "With candy, you have a warning. If I see candy sitting out in my kitchen, it flashes a warning because I know it's bad... Cereal doesn't send that same signal. It has a halo," he said.

The term 'halo' is used among health researchers to describe foods like cereal which are often marketed as being healthy but can be packed full of sugars and ingredients that have the potential to contribute to weight gain.

Wansink shared his advice based on his findings: "If you want to be skinny, you do what skinny people do. If skinny people don't have pop, cereal and chips sitting on the counter, maybe you shouldn't have it, either. Why try to roll the dice uphill?"

- nzherald.co.nz