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Optimal macronutrient balance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2007

Michael J. Gibney
Michael J. Gibney*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College Medical School, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland
*
Corresponding author: Professor Michael J. Gibney, fax +353 1 6710672, email mgibney@ted.ie
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Abstract

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There is at present a justifiable debate as to the optimum level of total dietary fat which will reduce the risk of obesity without an elevation of plasma triacylglycerol or a depression of plasma HDL-cholesterol. Total plasma cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels are lowered and risk of fatal myocardial infarction is lowered when either saturated or trans-unsaturated fatty acids are replaced isoenergetically by either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids. The triacylglycerol-raising and HDL-lowering effects of low-fat high-carbohydrate diets can be over-come with low intakes of n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and moderate exercise. Whilst a reduction in dietary fat is being attained in many countries, the reduction is uniform across all fatty acids, leaving dietary fat composition unchanged. The ability of low-fat diets to reduce cholesterol and cause a fall in body weight is not influenced by the carbohydrate ratio starch: sugars in the diet. However, weight-gain susceptibility to high intakes of dietary fat and the plasma cholesterol responsiveness to diet are considerably influenced by common genetic polymorphisms.

Keywords

Dietary fatDietary fatty acidsDietary carbohydrateDiet and genetics
Type
‘Optimal nutrition’
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 58 , Issue 2 , May 1999 , pp. 421 - 425
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

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