Public release date: 21-Aug-2003
Contact: Steve Bradt
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215-573-6604
University of Pennsylvania

Smaller food portions may explain the 'French paradox' of rich foods and
a svelte population

PHILADELPHIA -- The "French paradox" -- the perplexing disconnect
between France's rich cuisine and slender population -- can be explained
in part by portions that are significantly smaller in French restaurants
and supermarkets than in their American counterparts. So say researchers
at the University of Pennsylvania and CNRS in Paris, who compared the
size of restaurant meals, single-serve foods and cookbook portions on
both sides of the Atlantic.

"The French paradox is only a paradox if one assumes that dietary fat is
the major cause of obesity and cardiovascular disease," said Paul Rozin,
professor of psychology at Penn and lead author of a paper in the
September issue of the journal Psychological Science. "However, recent
studies suggest that the importance of fat intake as a risk factor has
been greatly exaggerated.

While the French eat more fat than Americans, they probably eat slightly
fewer calories, which when compounded over years can amount to
substantial differences in weight."

The French paradox has long stymied American dieters and scientists,
puzzled by the ability of the French to remain trim while downing
buttery croissants, creamy brie and decadent pastries. Just 7 percent of
French adults are obese, as compared with 22 percent of Americans, and
the mortality rate from heart disease is significantly lower in France.

Rozin and his colleagues weighed portions at 11 comparable pairs of
eateries in Paris and Philadelphia, including fast-food outlets,
pizzerias, ice cream parlors and a variety of ethnic restaurants. They
found the mean portion size across all Paris establishments was 277
grams, compared to a mean in Philadelphia of 346 grams -- 25 percent
more than in Paris.

In just one of the 11 comparisons, between Hard Rock Cafes in both
cities, were the Parisian portions larger. Three other international
restaurant chains consistently served larger portions in the U.S., and
Philadelphia's Chinese restaurants served meals that were on average 72
percent heftier than those served by Chinese restaurants in Paris.

The researchers also examined references to portion size in Philadelphia
and Paris editions of the 2000 Zagat restaurant guide. Serving sizes
were not only mentioned roughly three times as frequently in reviews of
Philadelphia restaurants, but, of these mentions, fully 88 percent
described large portions, compared to just 52 percent in Paris.

"Many studies have shown that, if food is moderately palatable, people
tend to consume what is put in front of them and generally consume more
when offered more food," Rozin said. "Much discussion of the 'obesity
epidemic' in the U.S. has focused on personal willpower, but our study
shows that the environment also plays an important role and that people
may be satisfied even if served less than they would normally eat."

Extending their approach to single-serve foods sold in supermarkets,
Rozin and colleagues found 14 of 17 items studied were larger in
American stores. For example, a candy bar sold in Philadelphia was 41
percent larger than the same product in Paris, a soft drink was 52
percent larger, a hot dog was 63 percent larger and a carton of yogurt
was 82 percent larger.

Rozin's co-authors on the Psychological Science paper are Kimberly
Kabnick and Erin Pete at Penn, who conducted the work as part of their
senior Psychology Honors thesis, and Claude Fischler and Christy Shields
at CNRS. Their work was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse.