Diet and Fat

We have to confront one of our must cherished notions about weight and health — regarding the dietary demon of fat.

This article, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (reviewed in this article), helps to unlinking fat in the diet from fat on your hips.

Researchers followed 125 men and women, ages 18 to 35, who had lost more than 8 percent of their initial body weight and were trying to keep it off.

They assigned them randomly to follow one of three diets based on fat content:

1. HIGH 35-45 % of total calories were from fat
2. LOW 20 – 30 % of total calories were from fat
3. MEDIUM 35 % of total calories were from fat

Every group failed to keep from regaining their weight after 6 months.

1. HIGH gained back 5.5 lbs
2. LOW gained back 4.8 lbs
3. MEDIUM gained back 8.3 lbs

In other words, increased fat in the diet does not equal increased fat on the hips.

But what about risk factors for diabetes such as blood sugar levels and insulin? The diet that allowed 35 percent to 45 percent of total intake as fat, with most of it olive oil-type fat, seemed to improve glucose compared to a normal Western diet, according to the study author.

What was not assessed here was the overall consumption — how much food were these people eating. Obviously, since they were gaining back their previously lost weight, they are overconsuming their food.

The reason we are so confused by fat and its (lack of) effect in weight control is that we don’t focus on behavioral habits as much as the macromolecular breakdown of the meal (what percent of diet came in the form of fats).