7-13 September - Brisbane, Australia 2000 |
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Body weight and the high monounsaturated fat diet K.Z. Walker* A high monounsaturated fat (high MUFA) diet with 40% energy (%E) from fat is now recommended as an alternative to low fat, high carbohydrate diets (20-30%E from fat) for treatment of people with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. It has been established that a high-MUFA diet has beneficial effects. It improves glycaemic control and the dyslipidemia of diabetes and is palatable and well accepted by subjects. Concerns have been expressed by some practitioners that a high-MUFA diet disadvantageous for weight management in these clients due to its relatively high total fat content. However, when isocaloric, energy-restricted (5MJ/day) low fat or high-MUFA diets are compared in obese subjects, a similar loss of body weight and body fat have been seen on both diets. Such restricted energy intake leads to short-term but generally unsustainable weight loss regardless of dietary composition. A more important question therefore is the effect of high-MUFA foods prescribed for a long-term sustainable 'eating plan'. In this circumstance, with ad libitum intake, the energy density of the diet becomes a critical issue. It is not well appreciated that high-MUFA meals can have a low to moderate energy density. An example is the combining of energy dense olive oil with quantities of low energy density fibre-rich vegetables in traditional Greek ladera. A menu based on Cretan cuisine (40%E from fat) was found to have a mean energy density of 4.8 ± 0.7 KJ/g. The mean energy densities of five high-MUFA diets analysed from the literature ranged from 4.1 to 6.5 KJ/g depending on vegetable content. Therefore as with low fat diets, fibre-rich high-MUFA diets should be difficult to over-consume. This contention is supported by our results in randomised cross-over design studies in people with Type 2 diabetes. In these studies it was found that a high-MUFA diet consumed ad libitum over a 12 week period was not associated with weight gain but induced similar loss of body weight and body fat as a low fat, fibre-rich high carbohydrate diet. Low fat (20%E from fat) and fibre-rich high-MUFA (40%E from fat) diets can provide meals of similar energy density and a similar body weight response. |
2000
Pre-Olympic Congress