The Relationship between Dietary Fat and Fatty Acid Intake and Body Weight, Diabetes, and the Metabolic Syndrome

Research Group 2002; Ornish, 2005]. However, it is impossible to draw final conclusions from these studies in that they do not have a higher fat control group, they often incorporated additional lifestyle interventions, and there is difficulty in maintaining the very low fat diets, which leads to high drop out rates. Despite the findings of post hoc analyses of these trials that show that adherence to a high fiber, low fat diet is the strongest predictor of weight loss and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) [Lindstrom et al., 2006a], unified recommendations are difficult and the public is left with mixed messages [Bravata et al., 2003]. This review will endeavor to provide an update of the literature from 1993 to the present with respect to the role of dietary fat and obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Data from cross-sectional, prospective cohort and interventional studies will be evaluated, and emerging data on the role of genetic regulation of the response to dietary fat will be presented.