Restaurant menus that include calorie information do seem to encourage diners to exercise some restraint, a new US study suggests.

What's more, researchers found, menus that give added information – namely, the number of calories the average adult should get in a day – could prove even more effective at curbing appetites.

The findings, reported in the American Journal of Public Health, give some weight to the growing movement to require restaurant chains to place calorie information on their menus and menu boards.