Changes in body weight, body composition, and energy intake in women fed high- and low-fat diets

Article Abstract:

Low-fat diets are known to lower blood levels of fats and cholesterol-containing lipoproteins, with presumably beneficial effects on the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between dietary fat intake and body weight and composition in women has not been well studied. The association between energy (calorie) intake and body weight has been studied extensively, but recent attention has been focused on the effects of different dietary proportions of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Studies suggest that less weight is gained when more energy is provided as carbohydrate rather than fat. However, the effects of fat replacement by carbohydrate during weight maintenance have not been reported. Eighteen premenopausal women completed a 24-week course consisting of a standard diet containing 37 percent fat (high-fat, HF) for the first four weeks, followed by a 20-week course of a 20 percent fat (low-fat, LF) diet. Twelve subjects were nonobese and six subjects were obese. A nearly constant weight was maintained for each individual by adjusting caloric intake where needed. However, average body weight in both obese and nonobese subjects declined an average of 3 percent during the LF period and it dropped earlier in the obese women. Energy intake increased by 19 percent in the whole group by the end of the LF period. Total body fat and fat as a percentage of body weight declined significantly in all groups of subjects. Total lean weight increased in obese women, while the percent of lean weight increased in both groups. The study indicates that a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet, consumed for 20 weeks, causes a significant reduction in body weight and fat content in spite of increased calorie intake, independent of body type. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Body weight, High-carbohydrate diet, High carbohydrate diet

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Weight loss in women participating in a randomized trial of low-fat diets

Article Abstract:

Many studies have reported that diets high in fat content increase both body weight and the risk of heart disease. High-fat diets lead to an increase in body weight because fat is high in calories, and high-fat diets tend to cause more calories to be taken in than are expended during daily activities. This causes adipose tissue to accumulate in the body. To further examine the relationship between dietary fat, energy intake and body weight, 303 women were studied. The women were between the ages of 45 and 69, and on average weighed between 145 and 152 pounds at the beginning of the study. Their average diet contained 39 percent of the total daily calories as fat. The women were divided into two groups that met on a regular basis. The first group (184 women) was taught how to replace fat in the diet with nonfatty or low-fat foods, while the 119 women in the second group continued their regular dietary habits. At the end of one year, the women who were taught how to select and substitute low-fat foods had reduced their daily fat intake by an average of 45 grams, reduced the fat content of their diets by 17 percent (from 39 percent to 22 percent), and lost an average of 6.8 pounds. The women in the second group only reduced the fat content of their diets by 2 percent and lost less than 1 pound. Reducing the fat content of the diet had a greater influence on reducing body weight than reducing the total amount of calories consumed. The results of this study indicate that body weight is related to energy balance and the fat content of the diet. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Physiological aspects, Weight loss, Dietary fat

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