Survey Links Obesity With Food Portions

The steadily growing size of the food portions served at restaurants and at home is one of the causes of obesity in this country, according to a new survey by the American Institute for Cancer Research.

The Washington-based nonprofit group argues that its data, based on random phone interviews with 1,011 adults in February, and recent scientific studies point to a direct correlation between portion size and obesity, despite other studies and restaurant-industry claims that the two are unrelated.

The survey found that Americans know alarmingly little about appropriate food portions and don't consider the subject important to weight management. Also "of particular concern" to the group was the finding that 30 percent of people surveyed base the amount they consume on how much they are served. The institute is troubled by the epidemic of obesity, officials said, because it has been established in numerous studies as a significant risk factor in the development of cancer and other diseases. The debate over what we eat and how little we exercise -- and which is more to blame for growing waistlines -- is growing more intense and scientifically based with each new study.

The institute says individuals bear the ultimate responsibility for what they eat but asserts that food manufacturers and the restaurant industry, and fast-food chains in particular, are distorting what the typical American believes is an appropriate amount to eat. Larger servings offered in restaurants and vending machines, the group says, lead people to consume more at all times.

"What they're doing in restaurants is spilling over into their homes," said Barbara J. Rolls, a nutrition researcher at Pennsylvania State University, who spoke at the news conference releasing the survey to outline her studies on the subject. What people see in restaurants "looks normal to them," she said.

Several studies have documented the expanding serving sizes of commercially available foods. One published last year in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, for example, found that an average serving of french fries has risen from to 7.1 ounces, from 2.4 ounces in 1955.

The restaurant industry denies a link between bigger portion sizes and obesity. The real culprit is "our sedentary society," said Steven C. Anderson, president and chief executive of the National Restaurant Association. He cited a recent study by researchers at the University of North Carolina showing that caloric intake per capita has remained the same for many years, while exercise rates have declined. That study was funded by the National Soft Drink Association.

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