Complete List

For anyone interested, here is the complete list of food related articles appearing in the Journal of Consumer Research, a marketing journal (from 2005 to the present).  I don't know why they are suddenly interested in food and nutrition, but they are.  JCR is a marketing journal!  These links all go to press releases.  Unless you use a computer at a university that subscribes to JCR, you cannot view the actual articles.  They are fascinating.

Research Update

In addition to the usual results showing low carb dieters losing more weight, achieving better blood glucose levels, and losing more inches than low fat, high carb dieters, this new study also demonstrated that low carb dieters had better memory performance.  Ketone levels were significantly and positively correlated with memory performance, but low fat, high carb dieters don't achieve ketosis, so they are out of luck.  This is important, because low carb diets are very good for type II diabetics.  Type II diabetics are at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which is sometimes called "type III diabetes."  "Type III" diabetes would certainly affect your memory performance.

Another study showed that in adults afflicted with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (about 1/3 of the adult population in the U.S.) lost significantly more liver fat after two weeks on a low carb diet than on a low fat, high carb diet.  Weight loss after two weeks was about the same on both regimes, but loss of liver fat was the key goal of the study, and the low carb diet proved better.

More interesting food articles from the marketing journal, The Journal of Consumer Research.  I find it fascinating that the academic marketing discipline is so focused on eating.

• Consumers are more likely to order more calories at a restaurant they perceive as "healthy," such as Subway, than at a restaurant they perceive as "unhealthy," such as McDonald's (this link opens a press release in an MS Word document).  There is a "health halo" associated with "healthy" restaurants, such as Subway.  Since consumers tell themselves they are eating healthy, they splurge on unhealthy sides, drinks, and desserts.  When they eat at a restaurant perceived as "unhealthy," they are more aware of what they are eating and actually consume fewer calories than at "healthy" restaurants.  Stupid dieters.
• When consumers face their own mortality, such as immediately after the 9/11 attacks, they eat more, drink more, and want to spend more time with their families (this link opens a press release in an MS Word document).
• The color of orange juice made people think it was sweeter.  Researchers wanted subjects to choose the "sweetest" orange juice (this link opens a press release in an MS Word document).  The subjects perceived no difference when one cup had a lot of sugar added and the other didn't, but they perceived a huge difference in sweetness when the orange juice was brighter, thanks to food dye.  Eyesight trumped the taste buds!

More Interesting Research Studies

A new study in the journal Obesity shows that those on a low carb diet were less bothered by hunger than those following a high carb, low fat diet.   This effect was particularly true for men.  I can attest that this is true, as I was always starving on Weight Watchers but not on my low carb diet.

There are several food studies from the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR), a marketing journal.  But interesting nonetheless.

This study shows that thinking about dying causes you to eat more (this link opens up a Microsoft Word document with a press release from the journal).  If I had to contemplate staying on Weight Watchers for my whole life, I would think about dying, too.

Another JCR study shows that the more "healthy" options on a menu or in a vending machine, the more likely someone is to choose something unhealthy.  I guess the "healthy" choices are so unappealing it causes people, in near desperation, to choose the unhealthy options.  To quote Fox Moulder, "The air in my mouth tastes better than that" (in reference to a diet ice cream bar Scully was eating).

Yet another JCR study shows that if you put junk food, such as M&Ms, in a 100 calorie pack, people will think it is diet food. (this link opens up an MS Word document with a press release from the journal).  A second JCR study shows that if you put junk food in 100 calorie packs, dieters will consume a lot more of them (this link opens up an MS Word document with a press release from the journal).  Stupid dieters.

There are many more JCR food studies.  I will report on more later.

Interesting Marketing Articles

I am a marketing professor (yes, a dreaded Ph.D.) and, surprisingly, there are a lot of food related studies appearing in the Journal of Consumer Research, a major marketing journal, that are relevant to the theme of this blog.

In one study, dieters are more cranky than non-dieters (because, in my opinion, they are starving on a high carb, low fat diet).  The study appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research; here is an online report summarizing the findings.  If you use a computer on a university campus, you will likely be able to access the original article.  If not, read the summary.  I'd be cranky, too, on a low-fat, high carb diet.

Do names matter?  Another study in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that when a food is labeled by a name perceived to be unhealthy (e.g., pasta), dieters perceive the item to be more unhealthy than non-dieters.  But when the same food is identified by a healthy name (e.g., salad), dieters and non-dieters alike make no product evaluations.

Yet another study in The Journal of Consumer Research shows that junk food is impulsively purchased, and the shoppers who pay by credit card are much more likely to purchase junk food than shoppers who pay with cash.  One thousand households were observed over a six month period and the researchers concluded that credit card purchases are relatively painless, whereas separating with cold hard cash is not.  Of course, the nannies in the study now want us all to pay for junk food with cash.  Why not just avoid it?

For whatever reason, there are a large number of food studies in JCR.  I will report on more later.