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Health food labels may not really be helping as much as they should. In fact, it is making people fatter rather than helping them lose weight, says a study. People end up eating more food when it is labeled healthy because they think they are making the right choice. They also think that the food is less filling than the fatty foods. As a result, they end up consuming more food that contains more calories, said the researchers. The results suggest that since eating too much is directly linked to obesity, eating too much 'healthy' food does not help either as it contributes to the weight gain, reports Daily Mail.

A study conducted by the Austin McCombs School of Business in Texas is made of three experiments. The first included testing 50 people to evaluate how they perceived healthy food and filling foods. The second test was designed to test how hungry people felt after they ate a cookie, based on whether the cookie was labeled as healthy or considered unhealthy. The third test interviewed 72 people, asking them to order food after they watched a short film. They were supposed to compare the amount of food they consumed after during the screening of the film. As per the results of the tests, all the participants felt hungry or ended eating more if the food was thought to be healthy, reported Independent.

The results obtained from these three experiments were ironic as the participants ate more and even felt hungrier when they consumed food that came with health labels. They considered the healthy foods to be less filling. The studies suggested that the foods with "healthy" label may be contributing to the obesity as people consume larger portions. The research also suggested that people should eat foods that are nourishing if they want to feel satisfied without overeating, says Latino Health