A new study has found that big restaurant chains have reportedly been introducing new lower-calorie menu items in an effort to fight the country's obesity rates, according to Fox News.

"If the average calories consumed at each visit were reduced by approximately 60 calories, the population impact on obesity could be significant," states the study, which was to be published on Wednesday in the American Journal of Prevention Medicine.

The study, which was done by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, involved 66 large chains. It was reportedly found that the menu items introduced in 2013 contained 12% fewer calories on average compared to the items on the menu a year ago.

In preparation to fight obesity, McDonald's Corp. reportedly introduced a 310-calorie burger in 2013, a 44% reduction compared with the 558 calories that its burgers on the 2012 menu averaged, according to a database compiled by the New York City Department of Health.

The new items that have been introduced, mostly in the form of sandwiches and salads, reportedly contain 60 fewer calories on average than the restaurant chains' conventional menu items, according to USA Today.

"The whole obesity epidemic is probably explained by an extra 100 to 150 calories per person per day, so helping cut 60 calories from their diet could make a big difference in the public's health," stated Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

These calorie reductions have begun to happen as details of the pending requirements under the Affordable Care Act to post calories right next to prices surfaced.

"Restaurants know when the calories get posted, there will be a lot of calorie shock among consumers. So, they're trying to respond early," stated Sara Bleich, associate professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins and the lead author of the study.