Nutrition Labels and the Brain: Balancing Health for Men and Women

Decoding Nutrition Labels: A Sex-Specific Guide to Healthier Eating

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Jordan Keane in Health & Wellness October 2026 • 4 min read.

"Unlocking the secrets of nutrition labels and how they impact men's and women's health differently."


In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed updating the 1992 guidelines for nutrition facts labeling. The goal was to empower consumers to make well-informed food choices that promote healthier lifestyles. However, the connection between nutrition label use and health outcomes remains underexplored.

A study conducted in Douglas County, Nebraska, in 2013, aimed to bridge this gap by investigating the relationship between nutrition label use and health. The study also sought to determine whether this relationship differs between men and women, acknowledging the potential impact of sex on health behaviors and outcomes.

Previous research indicates that women are generally more inclined to read nutrition labels. Given the higher risk of cardiovascular diseases among men, understanding how both sexes use this information can lead to targeted nutrition education and improved public health outcomes.

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Nutrition Statistics by Sex

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics describes FastStats as an official source for topic-specific statistics. The CDC’s nutrition data page highlights Americans’ excessive consumption of added sugars and says intake varies by sex, age, and race. The supplied sources do not provide a specific sex-disaggregated figure for added-sugar intake.

What Labels Can—and Cannot—Show

Nutrition labels are intended to help people make informed food choices, meet nutritional needs, and reduce or prevent diet-associated chronic disease. A mixed-methods study of South African food labels used interviews with 49 participants to identify labeling challenges and inform comparisons of front-of-pack labels as a quick assessment tool. Labels can also mislead when their nutrition information is inaccurate. One account notes that routine protein labeling may count non-protein nitrogen while missing digestibility, bioavailability, and amino-acid quality; amino-acid analysis is described as more accurate but costly and rarely used for routine labeling.

Why Does Nutrition Label Use Vary Between Men and Women?

Nutrition Labels and the Brain: Balancing Health for Men and Women

The Douglas County study employed a population-based, random sample survey of 1,503 participants. Researchers analyzed the data to assess how nutrition label use correlates with various health indicators, considering demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and healthcare access factors. The study hypothesized that a U-shaped relationship exists between self-rated health (SRH) and nutrition label use.

In other words, individuals with both excellent and poor health are more likely to use nutrition labels compared to those with average health. The study also explored whether obesity or chronic diseases increase the likelihood of label use, and whether significant sex differences exist in these associations.

  • Self-Rated Health (SRH): Participants rated their health on a scale from excellent to poor.
  • Obesity: Defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
  • Chronic Conditions: Presence of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
  • Nutrition Label Use: Assessed by asking, "Do you pay attention to information about sodium, fat, calories, or the use of preservatives when you purchase food?"
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Label Use and Differences Among Consumers

One study reports that women are more inclined to look at ingredient lists, nutrition information, and expiration dates, and links this pattern to care for family health and welfare. Research on older adults reports differing findings about income and label reading: one cited study found that older adults with the lowest weekly food budgets were more likely to read labels, while another found higher income predicted label use, especially among women. These findings point to variation in label use across groups rather than a single pattern that applies to everyone.

A Sex-Specific Finding on Hypertension

A 2013 analysis of nutrition-label use in Douglas County, Nebraska, found that hypertension was significantly associated with higher label use among men (χ² = 18.53, P < .001). The same association was not statistically significant among female respondents. This result shows that an association observed in one sex cannot automatically be assumed to apply to the other.

Comparing Labels and Foods

The FDA’s side-by-side comparison presents the original and new U.S. food label for direct comparison. Online tools also offer comparisons between foods: FoodsCompared describes comparing nutrition values and finding alternatives, while FoodAlt says it provides side-by-side nutrition facts and smart swaps using verified USDA data. Food Struct offers comparisons across nutrients and other measures, including vitamins, minerals, glycemic and insulin indexes, fat types, carbohydrate types, and amino acids.

Data analysis involved chi-square tests to examine bivariate associations, followed by logistic regression to estimate associations in a multivariate framework. This approach allowed for controlling potential confounding variables, providing a clearer picture of the relationships between health, sex, and nutrition label use.

Tailoring Nutrition Education for Men and Women

The Douglas County study underscores the importance of sex-specific nutrition education. By recognizing the differences in how men and women use nutrition labels and the factors influencing their choices, healthcare professionals and educators can develop more effective interventions. Future research should focus on culturally tailored interventions to promote healthier eating habits across diverse populations.

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Labels Work Within a Wider Food System

Front-of-pack nutrition labels are intended to influence food purchases and encourage product reformulation, but their effectiveness in achieving those aims remains under examination. A 2023 systematic review identified 3,519 records and included 85 multicomponent nutrition-label interventions that paired labels with other measures. Another review describes nutrition information at the point of purchase as a way to support informed choices and improve purchase decisions and diets. A 2024 account reports positive effects on consumer behavior in studies of front-of-pack labeling, while noting that countries with mandatory systems have faced industry litigation.

From Label Information to Health Outcomes

A World Obesity Federation case study describes an exploratory modelled health impact assessment asking how UK non-communicable disease mortality rates might change if health-related claims legislation were underpinned by a nutrient profile model. A 2024 cross-national survey and quantitative analysis set out to examine how food nutrition labels affect consumer behavior and the mechanisms involved. Separately, a 2023 study reviewed cohort evidence on dietary indices used for front-of-pack labels and their associations with all-cause mortality and the incidence of cardiovascular disease or cancer. These sources frame label impact across policy, consumer behavior, and longer-term health outcomes.

What the health patterns mean in plain terms

Label use tracked with health in different ways across the self-rated health scale: both ends were associated with greater use than the middle categories. This describes a pattern in reported behavior, not evidence that label use caused a health difference.[1]

What limits conclusions from the Douglas County analysis

  • Hypertension was associated with greater label use among men, but the corresponding association among women was not statistically significant.[2]
  • The link between obesity and label use appeared among men, but not women, after accounting for body-weight change.[2]
  • Having a personal doctor was associated with men's label reading, while health-insurance coverage showed no significant association with label use.[2]
  • Employment and education did not show uniform associations across the full sample and sex-specific groups, limiting any single account of who reads labels.[2]

The Douglas County survey at a glance

PopulationResidents in Douglas County, Nebraska[1]
Sample size1,503 participants[1]
SettingDouglas County, Nebraska[1]
Main outcomeNutrition label use[1]
p-valueP <.001[1]
Times cited19[1]

Questions the survey leaves open

  • Would the contrast between men and women in health-related label use appear in other populations and settings, or does it depend on characteristics of the Douglas County sample?[1] [2]
  • What explains the different associations observed for obesity and chronic conditions among men and women, including the role of body-weight change?[2]

Terms used to describe the results

Odds ratio (OR)
A measure comparing the odds of an outcome between groups.[1]
Bivariate association
An association examined between two variables.[1]

Sources

  1. A Sex-Specific Analysis of Nutrition Label Use and Health, Douglas County, Nebraska, 2013 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Preventing Chronic Disease, 2015)
  2. A Sex-Specific Analysis of Nutrition Label Use and Health, Douglas County, Nebraska, 2013 (Europe PMC, 2015)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.5888/pcd12.150167, Alternate LINK

Title: A Sex-Specific Analysis Of Nutrition Label Use And Health, Douglas County, Nebraska, 2013

Subject: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Journal: Preventing Chronic Disease

Publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Authors: Dejun Su, Junmin Zhou, Hannah L. Jackson, Ghada A. Soliman, Terry T-K Huang, Amy L. Yaroch

Published: 2015-09-24

Everything You Need To Know

1

What were the key findings regarding the relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and nutrition label use in the Douglas County study?

The Douglas County study, conducted in Nebraska, revealed that individuals with both excellent and poor self-rated health (SRH) are more inclined to utilize nutrition labels compared to those with average health. This suggests that awareness and concern about dietary impact on health may be heightened at the extremes of health status. The study also looked into how obesity or chronic diseases affect label use and explored differences between sexes in these patterns.

2

How did the Douglas County study assess nutrition label use, and what are some limitations of this assessment method?

In the Douglas County study, nutrition label use was assessed by asking participants if they pay attention to information about sodium, fat, calories, or the use of preservatives when purchasing food. This simple question provides a basic understanding of consumer awareness, but it doesn't capture the depth of how individuals interpret or act on this information. A more comprehensive assessment might include evaluating the frequency of label reading, understanding of nutritional content, and changes in purchasing behavior based on label information.

3

Can you elaborate on the statistical methods employed in the Douglas County study to analyze the relationship between health, sex, and nutrition label use?

The Douglas County study used logistic regression to estimate associations between health, sex, and nutrition label use while controlling for potential confounding variables such as demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and healthcare access factors. Chi-square tests were used to examine bivariate associations. This multivariate approach provides a clearer picture of how these factors independently and collectively influence nutrition label use.

4

What implications does the Douglas County study have for designing effective nutrition education programs, particularly for men and women?

The Douglas County study emphasizes the importance of tailoring nutrition education to meet the specific needs and behaviors of men and women. By acknowledging the differences in how men and women use nutrition labels and the factors influencing their choices, healthcare professionals and educators can develop interventions that resonate more effectively with each gender. Future research could examine culturally tailored interventions to promote healthier eating habits across diverse populations, addressing potential disparities in nutrition knowledge and access to healthy food options.

5

How do the FDA's proposed guidelines for nutrition facts labeling relate to the findings of the Douglas County study regarding consumer behavior and health outcomes?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed updating the 1992 guidelines for nutrition facts labeling to help consumers make better food choices for healthier lifestyles. The Douglas County study was focused on whether using Nutrition labels impacted health outcomes in men and women. The FDA guidelines serve as the foundation for standardized nutrition information, while studies like the one in Douglas County provide insights into how consumers interact with and are influenced by these labels.

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