Plenty of Americans who are concerned with their health try to exercise, take daily vitamin supplements and eat organic food. That said, a new study has determined that individuals can be influenced by an “organic” label on food items even if what is inside is no better than typical food.

Research presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Nutrition found that consumers can be influenced by the so-called “halo effect” of organic labels, to the point where they may even consume more of a reputedly healthy food than one labeled as junk food.

Cornell University graduate student Jenny Wan-chen Lee tested this principle by offering participants two types of foods – those labeled as organic and those considered conventional products.

Respondents tended to prefer the flavor of “organic” products, to believe that those products had less fat in them and to consider buying organic foods first, even though all foods presented by Lee were secretly the same.

The researcher concluded that labels can lead to people astray, particularly since some people would be willing to pay more for, and eat more of, those products deemed “organic.”

Rather than relying solely on food marketing schemes as a guide for one’s food intake, it may be best to simply eat fresh produce and consume dietary health supplements.