INTAKE OF CARBOHYDRATE AND ITS COMPONENTS - INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS, TRENDS OVER TIME, AND EFFECTS OF CHANGING TO LOW-FAT DIETS

Carbohydrate constitutes the major source of dietary energy for all pe oples of the world. However, it has been difficult to make accurate de terminations of intakes of carbohydrate and its constituents because o f lack of individual assessments in which carbohydrate components are included. For many countries, only food balance information is availab le and values for total carbohydrate are often derived by difference. Available information indicates that carbohydrate consumption decrease d in many industrialized nations as prosperity led to an increased con sumption of fat. Fat intakes have fallen over the past two decades and carbohydrate intakes have increased, but still do not approach the 60 -70% contribution of carbohydrate to total energy in developing countr ies. A negative image for carbohydrate has led to a reluctance to acce pt it as a legitimate dietary component, particularly in North America . New evidence of the beneficial effects of starch in the diet indicat es that increased consumption of carbohydrate, especially in the form of starch, should be promoted in Western countries.