London, Jan 15 (IANS) People who eat from a red plate or drink from red cups cut their food intake by 40 percent, says a new study.

The study carried out by German and Swiss researchers said the colour red may encourage diners to avoid snacking because it is commonly associated with the idea of “danger, prohibition and stop”, the Daily Mail reported.

The researchers suggested the governments and food industry could use red packaging on unhealthy foods as a deterrent, and could even use red colour in pubs to prevent people from drinking too much.

In the study, 41 male students were asked to drink tea from cups marked with red or blue labels. They drank 44 percent less from cups with red labels.

Another 109 people were given 10 pretzels each on either a red, blue or white plate. Those with a red plate ate fewer pretzels.

The results were published in the journal Appetite.