DIETARY-FAT, SUGAR, AND FIBER PREDICT BODY-FAT CONTENT

Objective This study was conducted to determine the relationships amon g the specific components of dietary fat and carbohydrate and body fat ness in lean and obese adults. Design Body composition determination w as performed on each subject by hydrostatic weighing at residual volum e. Subsequently, the individual components of dietary fat and carbohyd rate were examined relative to body fatness using a 3-day food diary a nd 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 le an (16.7 +/- 3.3% body fat) women, and 15 obese (42.7 +/- 3.9% body fa t) 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 per formed Group comparisons for dietary variables were made with a multiv ariate 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 portion 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). P ercent of fat intake for saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturat ed fats was not different, among groups. Obese subjects derived a grea ter percentage of their sugar intake from added sugars than lean subje cts (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 lowe r for obese men (20.9 +/- 1.8 g) and women (15.7 +/- 1.1 g) than for l ean men (27.0 +/- 1.8 g) and women (22.7 +/- 2.1 g). Applications/conc lusions Obesity is maintained primarily by a diet that is high in fat and added sugar and relatively low in fiber. Alterations in diet compo sition rather than energy intake may be a weight control strategy for overweight adults.