From Robert Bryan
Reading that the hunger hormone ghrelin can be suppressed just by believing a low-calorie drink is a high-calorie treat (4 June, p 21) reinforces my concern that the opposite may happen, and that foods labelled as low fat may do more harm than good.
Consumers may believe such foods contain fewer calories than they do, so their ghrelin levels do not drop as much as they should, and they may eat more. As many low-fat foods seem to contain more sugar than their standard counterparts, this extra sugar can end up increasing fat deposits.
Could this help to explain why, despite there being so many low-fat products, the number of people classed as obese keeps rising?
Canberra, ACT, Australia
