Publisher
Royal Society Publshing
Abstract
Absolute energy from fats and carbohydrates and the proportion of carbohydrates
in the food supply have increased over 50 years. Dietary energy
density (ED) isprimarily decreasedbythewaterandincreasedby the fat content
of foods. Protein, carbohydrates and fat exert different effects on satiety or
energy intake (EI) in the order protein > carbohydrates > fat. When the ED of
different foods is equalized the differences between fat and carbohydrates are
modest. Covertly increasing dietary ED with fat, carbohydrate or mixedmacronutrients
elevates EI, producingweight gain and vice versa. Inmore naturalistic
situations where learning cues are intact, there appears to be greater compensation
for the different ED of foods. There is considerable individual
variability in response. Macronutrient-specific negative feedback models of EI
regulation have limited capacity to explain how availability of cheap, highly
palatable, readily assimilated, energy-dense foods lead to obesity in modern
environments. Neuropsychological constructs including food reward (liking,
wanting and learning), reactive and reflective decision making, in the context
of asymmetric energy balance regulation, give more comprehensive explanations
of how environmental superabundance of foods containing mixtures
of readily assimilated fats and carbohydrates and caloric beverages elevate EI
through combined hedonic, affective, cognitive and physiological mechanisms.
This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Causes of obesity:
theories, conjectures and evidence (Part II)'.
Year
2023
Category
Refereed journal