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Food Lipids: Chemistry, Nutrition, and Biotechnology

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22<br />

Dietary Fats <strong>and</strong> Obesity<br />

DOROTHY B. HAUSMAN, DANA R. HIGBEE, <strong>and</strong><br />

BARBARA MULLEN GROSSMAN<br />

The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia<br />

I. INTRODUCTION<br />

Obesity is variably defined as having a body weight of more than 20% over ideal<br />

body weight or a body mass index [weight (kg)/height (m) 2 ] of 30 or more (1).<br />

Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases <strong>and</strong> alterations in physiological<br />

function, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, gallbladder<br />

disease, <strong>and</strong> certain types of cancer (2). Obesity is a major public health problem<br />

in the United States <strong>and</strong> Europe <strong>and</strong> is becoming increasingly important in many<br />

other areas of the world (3). The prevalence of obesity in adults in the United States<br />

has increased by 30% or more in the past decade, with increases in both genders<br />

<strong>and</strong> in all ethnic <strong>and</strong> racial populations <strong>and</strong> age groups (4). It is now estimated that<br />

in the United States more than one-third of the total adult population <strong>and</strong> one-half<br />

of the adult African American <strong>and</strong> Hispanic population are obese (5).<br />

The etiology of human obesity is quite complex, involving genetic, metabolic,<br />

behavioral, <strong>and</strong> environmental factors. Although obesity is believed to have a strong<br />

genetic component (6), the increased incidence of obesity in specific population<br />

groups undergoing westernization indicates the importance of dietary <strong>and</strong> lifestyle<br />

changes in the manifestation of this disease (7,8). Among dietary factors, both total<br />

energy intake <strong>and</strong> fat intake are significantly correlated with body mass index in<br />

these population groups (7). However, increased intake of fat energy is associated<br />

with a greater per unit increase in body mass than is increased intake of energy from<br />

nonfat sources. Therefore, much attention regarding dietary influences on obesity<br />

development or prevention has focused on high-fat diets.<br />

Copyright 2002 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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