Dietary fat:carbohydrate ratio and obesity in middle-aged men

Nutrient intakes from 7-d diet records were compared with hydrostatically determined body composition in 155 sedentary obese men aged 30-59 y. Percent body fats ranged from 18.6 to 40.3. The men ate (mean +/- SD) 2570 +/- 514 kcal/d: 15.6 +/- 2.6% from protein, 40.7 +/- 5.7% from fat, 37.5 +/- 6.9% from carbohydrate, and 6.2 +/- 6.0% from alcohol. Percent body fat correlated positively (p less than 0.05) with g/1000 kcal intake of total, saturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids and negatively with carbohydrates and plant protein. Total calories, number of meals, and distribution of calories were unrelated to percent body fat, total weight, or fat-free mass. The higher proportion of fat and carbohydrate in the diet may contribute to obesity in men. The modest caloric intake of these men and the lack of correlation between percent body fat and total calories suggest that calorie differences are not the major cause of the variations in obesity in these men.