Am. Stephen et al., INTAKE OF CARBOHYDRATE AND ITS COMPONENTS - INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS, TRENDS OVER TIME, AND EFFECTS OF CHANGING TO LOW-FAT DIETS, The American journal of clinical nutrition, 62(4), 1995, pp. 851-867
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.