Research
Adherence
Regulatory bans or restrictions on unhealthy foods (e.g., trans fat bans, SSB bans) and mandates for healthier options in institutional settings (schools) significantly improve dietary quality and reduce consumption of target nutrients, whereas menu labeling alone has negligible impact on purchasing behavior.
If you are a policymaker or business owner, implement bans on trans fats and restrictions on sugary drinks in vending/schools. Do not rely on menu labeling alone, as evidence shows it fails to change purchasing behavior.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Nutrition-related studies found greater effects because of bans/restrictions on unhealthy foods, mandates offering healthier foods, and altering purchase/payment rules on foods purchased using low-income food vouchers compared with other interventions (menu labelling, new supermarkets).
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review of 37 natural/quasi-experiments, with strong designs (+++) showing expected results for bans.
Source
Impact of policy and built environment changes on obesity‐related outcomes: a systematic review of naturally occurring experiments
Stephanie L. Mayne et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2015
DOI 10.1111/obr.12269
systematic_reviewCited 299×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Natural experiments with weaker study designs (cross-sectional, case-only) are more likely to report positive associations with interventions than those with strong designs (longitudinal with comparison groups).Strong
- Built environment interventions that improve active transportation infrastructure (bike lanes, trails, light rail) increase process outcomes (cycling rates, walking volume) but do not consistently increase total physical activity or reduce BMI.Good
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →