The importance of dietary fat composition on adipose tissue metabolism.

Neutral energy and macronutrient balances are needed for the maintenance of a stable body weight. High-fat diets promote fat accumulation. This fact i s not only due to the induction of a caloric hyperphagia, but also to the f ailure to adjust fat oxidation in response to an excess of fat intake. This situation does not occur with carbohydrates. In addition, the fatty acid c omposition of dietary fat can also be an important factor determining tile resulting level of body weight and body energy stores. The modifications in duced in adipocyte membrane fatty acid composition and in stored triglyceri des lead to changes in the efficiency of the lipid mobilization. On the oth er hand, the activity of lipoprotein-lipase and lipogenic enzymes can be mo dulated by some fatty acids. The fate of the different fatty acids is not t he same. Some of them are preferentially oxidized, others are stored and ot hers play a structural role. Finally, diet-induced thermogenesis is increas ed by certain fatty acids and that contributes to an increased energy expen diture.