Fats and Fatty Acid Requirements for Adults

Overweight and Obesity In most countries, the prevalence of obesity and overweight have increased severely [WHO, 2000]. Some prospective studies have demonstrated that foods high in fat and energy are associated with weight gain [Klesges et al., 1992; Schulz et al., 2002; Newby et al., 2003]. On the other hand, other prospective studies have yielded conflicting results on this topic [Colditz et al., 1990; Kant et al., 1995; Ludwig et al., 1999]. A randomized intervention trial of 48,835 postmenopausal women investigated the relationship between increasing obesity and low-fat and high-carbohydrate diets in the USA. The women (19,541) in the intervention group (29.8% fat from energy) reduced their body weight in the first year and kept a lower weight compared with the control group (38.1% fat from energy) during an average of 7.5 years of follow-up [Howard et al., 2006]. In another randomized study, the goal was to evaluate the effects of increased fruit and vegetable intake and reduced fat and sugar intake in families at risk of offspring obesity. The increase in fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with a lowered high-fat and high-sugar intake. The dietary changes resulted in a significant decrease in percentage of overweight in adults and prevented obesity in the children [Epstein et al., 2001]. Introduction