The dietary fat: carbohydrate ratio in relation to body weight

A review of the contemporary dietary surveys indicates that the percentage of energy derived from fat is, in general, positively associated with total energy consumption and obesity. However, dietary carbohydrate tends to show the opposite trend. Epidemiological and experimental evidence suggest that the fat: carbohydrate ratio affects body weight through energy surfeits facilitated by the high energy density and palatability of fat. Biological mechanisms for an effect of this dietary ratio on the regulation of body weight have been the topic of much recent research. In this context the fat: carbohydrate ratio might be of particular importance in individuals with an inherited susceptibility to obesity.