 Most Americans clean their plates, no matter how full those plates are, a survey has found.
The findings, released by the American Institute for Cancer Research on Thursday, add to the debate over how much restaurants and fast-food outlets are contributing to the epidemic of obesity in the United States and elsewhere. The institute's survey found that 69 percent of those polled finish their meals most or all of the time, even when the portions are huge. "Fully 30 percent of Americans now say they generally base the amount of food they eat on the amount they are served," according to the institute, which promotes research on the links between diet and cancer. "In a country where 64 percent of us are overweight or obese, there is an alarming tendency to overlook the sheer amount of food we're eating," Dr. Barbara Rolls of Pennsylvania State University told a news conference. The report compiled information from two surveys involving 1,000 adults each. One was conducted in 2000 and the other in 2003. In 2000, 7 percent of those surveyed said they ate their entire meal all the time when dining at full-service restaurants. That number rose to 37 percent in 2003. "Scientific studies show that people can and do unconsciously consume more calories -- as much as 56 percent more -- when served larger portions," the institute said. It cited a study published in 2002 in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association that found in 1955, a single order of fries weighed 2.4 ounces, compared to 7.1 ounces now. Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Rolls and her colleagues said people ate 30 percent more macaroni and cheese when given the largest of four different portions. Fewer than half of those tested noticed the differences in the portions they were served. (Agencies)
| 一項調查表明：大多數美國人都會把盤子里的食物吃光，不管他們的盤子有多滿。 美國癌癥研究院星期四公布的調查結果使有關餐館和快餐店在多大程度上造成美國以及世界其它地區肥胖癥盛行的辯論更加激烈。 該研究院的調查發現69%的投票者大部分時候或每次都把所點的食物吃完，即使份量很大。 該研究院正在倡議研究飲食與癌癥之間的聯系。他們說："目前整整有30%的美國人說他們通常是服務員端上多少就吃多少。" 賓西法尼亞大學的巴巴拉·羅斯博士在一次新聞發布會上說："我們國家有64%的人體重超標或過于肥胖。人們忽視食量的趨勢令人擔憂。" 該報告匯總了兩份分別涉及1,000個成年人的調查反饋信息。這兩項調查分別在2000年和2003年進行的。 在2000年的調查中，有7%的被調查者說他們在餐桌式服務餐館中吃飯時總是把食物全部吃光。這一數字到2003年已上升到37%。 該研究院稱，"科學研究表明當食物的份量加大時，人們很可能，而且確實在無意識中攝入更多的卡路里，比一般情況多56%。" 該報告列舉了《美國飲食協會雜志》在2002發表的一項調查結果：在1955年，一份薯條重2.4盎司，而現在重7.1盎司。 羅斯和他的同事在《美國臨床營養學雜志》上發表文章說，在四份不同份量的食物中，選擇了最大份的人會多吃掉30%的通心面和奶酪。 只有不到一半的被測試者注意到了提供給他們的食物份量是不同的。 （中國日報網站譯）
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Updated: 2003-07-21 01:00
