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Dietary fat, sugar, and fiber predict body fat content

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Abstract

Objective This study was conducted to determine the relationships among the specific components of dietary fat and carbohydrate and body fatness in lean and obese adults.

Design Body composition determination was performed on each subject by hydrostatic weighing at residual volume. Subsequently, the individual components of dietary fat and carbohydrate were examined relative to body fatness using a 3-day food diary and a food frequency questionnaire.

Subjects Subjects were 23 lean (11.1±2.9% body fat) men, 23 obese (29.2±3.8% body fat) men, 17 lean (16.7±3.3% body fat) women, and 15 obese (42.7±3.9% body fat) women who volunteered for free diet and body composition analyses. Inclusion criteria were 15% body fat for lean men, 25% for obese men, 20% for lean women, and 35% for obese women.

Statistical analysis performed Group comparisons for dietary variables were made with a multivariate analysis of variance.

Results No differences were found between lean and obese subjects for energy intake or total sugar intake, but obese subjects derived a greater of their energy from fat (33.1±2.6% and 36.3±2.3% for obese men and women, respectively, vs 29.1±1.3% and 29.6±2.0%, lean men and women, respectively). Percent of fat intake for saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats was not different among groups. Obese subjects derived a greater percentage of their sugar intake from added sugars than lean subjects (38.0±3.5% vs 25.2±2.0%, respectively, for men; 47.9±8.0% vs 31.4±3.4%, respectively, for women). Dietary fiber was lower for obese men (20.9±1.8 g) and women (15.7±1.1 g) than for lean men (27.0±1.8 g) and women (22.7±2.1 g).

Applications/conclusions Obesity is maintained primarily by a diet that is high in fat and added sugar and relatively low in fiber. Alterations in diet composition rather than energy intake may be a weight control strategy for overweight adults.

Section snippets

Subjects

Study subjects (46 adult men and 32 adult women) were chosen from a pool of more than 200 local community members who responded to advertisements offering free diet and body composition analyses to research volunteers. Criteria for inclusion in this study was based on adiposity. For men, lean was defined as 15% body fat and obese was defined as 25% body fat. Values for lean and obese women were 20% and 35% body fat, respectively. All respondents who met the inclusion criteria for percent body

RESULTS

Total energy intake and energy intake per lean body mass were similar between the lean and the obese subjects (Table 1). When energy intake was expressed relative to body mass, the obese subjects were found to consume less than the lean subjects. Both obese men and women derived a greater percentage of their energy from fat and less from carbohydrate compared with their lean counterparts. However, the percentage of total energy derived from sugar was similar among all groups.

Group comparisons

DISCUSSION

The most significant finding from our study is that diet composition rather than energy consumption was a characteristic of obesity for both men and women. Specifically, no differences were observed in total energy intake or energy intake relative to lean body mass between lean and obese subjects, whereas energy intake per body mass was lower in obese than in lean subjects. These data agree with previous descriptive studies 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., large data-based studies in the German

APPLICATIONS

Our findings imply that obesity is maintained primarily by a diet high in fat and added sugar and relatively low in fiber. If obese persons substituted fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat meats, and skim-milk dairy products for their usual food choices, a shift in diet composition could be produced that supports a healthier lifestyle and weight control. This nondieting approach is a promising strategy for weight control without severe energy restriction.

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Supported by the Indiana University Adult Fitness Program and the Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust.

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