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Dieters choosing low-fat foods in the hope of cutting calories should beware: they can contain even more calories than regular foods, research has found.
A new study found that while most low-fat supermarket products contain a third fewer calories than their regular fat version, ten per cent actually have more or the same calories, mainly due to added sugars.
Obesity specialist Dr Matthew Capehorn said weight-conscious shoppers should realise that choosing low-fat products made by brands including Weight Watchers could hamper their efforts to cut calories.
Low-fat bread and other foods can contain more calories than their regular counterparts, research shows
The study by the Rotherham Institute for Obesity, where Dr Capehorn is clinical director, found that Weight Watchers wholemeal thick slice bread had more calories than any own label, regular fat equivalent, while Weight Watchers sliced cheese also had more calories than own label equivalents.
REGULAR VS DIET - HOW THEY COMPARE
Weight Watchers wholemeal thick slice bread had more calories than any own label, regular fat equivalent.
Weight Watchers sliced cheese also had more calories than own label equivalents.
Asda natural low-fat yoghurt had more calories than Asda natural yoghurt.
Birdseye light and crunchy breaded chicken had more calories than Birdseye crispy chicken.
Sainsbury’s low fat custard had the same calories as Sainsbury’s custard.
Asda own brand low fat Italian dressing had more fat than the regular fat alternative.
Weight Watchers sliced cheese also had more calories than own label equivalents.
Asda natural low-fat yoghurt had more calories than Asda natural yoghurt.
Birdseye light and crunchy breaded chicken had more calories than Birdseye crispy chicken.
Sainsbury’s low fat custard had the same calories as Sainsbury’s custard.
Asda own brand low fat Italian dressing had more fat than the regular fat alternative.
It also found that Asda natural low-fat yoghurt had more calories than Asda natural yoghurt, Birdseye light and crunchy breaded chicken had more calories than Birdseye crispy chicken, and Sainsbury’s low fat custard had the same calories as Sainsbury’s custard.
Often, extra sugar was added to boost the taste of the lower-fat foods.Dr Capehorn said: 'Low-fat foods do appear on average to help reduce calorie intake...however appropriate food choices may still require reading nutritional information on the food labels, as ten per cent of low fat foods still have more calories, and 40 per cent have more sugar, than their regular fat counterparts.'
He began the study to establish whether low-fat versions of products were nutritionally healthier than their regular counterparts, mainly in terms of sugar and overall calories.
Of the ten most popular UK supermarkets, four provided enough information online for researchers to complete the study in November: Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose and Tesco.
Fat, sugar and calorie content for any low fat food that had a directly comparable regular fat product made by the same brand were recorded.
Of 62 products that matched these criteria found in the four supermarkets, 56 low-fat products had fewer calories, and on average overall the low-fat products had 31 per cent less calories.
However, ten per cent of low fat foods analysed still had more or the same calories than the regular fat version, while 37 of the 62 products (60 per cent) had less sugar than the regular fat alternatives.
One low-fat product, Asda own brand low fat Italian dressing, had more fat than the regular fat alternative.
Dieters hoping yoghurt will help them lose weight should check the calorie content (file image)
An example of where there was an obvious calorie saving with the lower fat version was Benecol light spread, which saved 216 kcals/100g compared with Benecol buttery spread.
Weight Watchers said it was redeveloping its wholemeal thick sliced bread after research found it had more calories than any ‘own label’ supermarket brand.
A spokesperson said: 'Weight Watchers continues to strive to provide customers with high quality Weight Watchers Foods and we are constantly evolving our products to ensure this.
'As such, we are redeveloping the Weight Watchers Thick Sliced Wholemeal Bread to ensure it is the best choice for our consumers.'
The findings by the Rotherham Institute for Obesity were presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Sofia, Bulgaria, yesterday.
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