How long have you heard that protein and carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram of food, and fat provides 9 calories per gram? Probably forever. But these numbers are bogus according to a recent paper by Dr. Geoffrey Livesey.

Protein intake, especially animal protein, as well as carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables are associated with a smaller increase in a person’s waist measurement over 5 years, whereas carbohydrates from refined grains, potatotes and foods with simple sugars are associated with a larger increase in waist according to a study from Denmark.

From 1971 to 2000, carbohydrate intake in the U.S. increased by an average of 68 grams per day in men and 62 grams per day in women. Fat intake increased in women by 6.5 grams per day, but decreased by 5.3 grams per day in men.

Overweight people do not convert more carbohydrates to fat than lean people even when overfeed with carbohydrates according to a new study from Switzerland.

The one-fifth of people eating the most reduced-fat dairy products, fruit, and fiber weighed less than the one-fith eating the least according to a new study from researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Are carbohydrates easily converted to fat? “No,” according to researcher Jean-Pierre Flatt, Ph.D. “The body is very efficient at balancing the amount of carbohydrates that are burned with the amount that is eaten.”

An interview with Jean-Pierre Flatt, Ph.D. about the role of carbohydrates and their conversion to body fat.

Jean-Pierre Flatt, Ph.D. is a leading researcher in field of energy metabolism and body weight regulation. His group was one of the first to discover than despite being a common belief, carbohydrates are not easily converted to fat in humans. In 1995 he received the McCollum Award from the American Society of Clinical Nutrition for his work on weight maintenance.