Study: Food products that claim to be “healthy” may be more harmful

Low-fat fresh cheese, sugar-free soft drinks, and many food products are advertised as being free of ingredients of concern. But a team of researchers from the prestigious Cornell University in the United States analyzed the ingredients of about 150,000 food and beverage products available on store shelves there. The result was shocking!

Most products that claim to be free of worrying additives - such as excess sugar, fat or sodium - often contain substitutes that may, in some cases, be more harmful.

Advertising Promises: How Healthy Are These Foodstuffs?

The study, the results of which were published on the German channel (mdr) website, was based on data collected by a market research company over a period of approximately ten years on various products. The researchers analyzed this data using the “Nutrient Profile” used by the British Food Authority in its quality assessments. This model gives negative scores to products that are high in sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and calories, while positively rating the presence of fibre, protein, and fruits or vegetables.

“It is true that the fat content was reduced, but the total sugar and sodium content was higher,” explained researcher Bii Zhou, who discovered a cheese with claims to be fat-free. “The packaging includes a lot of data and information. Our main question was: Are products with such data healthier than those without any health claims?”

It turns out that the promises written on the packaging were true from a purely technical standpoint; The products actually contained, according to what was stated, lower amounts of fat or sugar. However, in return, the manufacturers were forced to make concessions regarding the composition, which ultimately led to a poor overall result, according to what was reported by the German channel (mdr) website.

Why do soft drinks remain unhealthy despite their low sugar content?

According to the study, this problem is most evident in soft drinks. Although the proportions of sodium, sugar, and saturated fats added to it have been reduced, its nutritional value remains low overall. Moreover, manufacturers are more likely to make poorly regulated claims — such as calling a product “natural” — that generate positive sentiment in consumers, without being associated with real, verifiable health benefits, the study authors said.