Greater weight loss is associated with people reducing the variety of fats, oils, sweets and high-fat foods, and increasing the variety of low-fat breads according to a study from Brown University.

Increasing fat intake is associated with overweight and obesity in men only according to a new study from researchers at the University of Montreal in Montreal, Canada. This is interesting in light of the fact that the previous article suggested that women were more susceptible to gaining weight from and increase in dietary fat than men. Since this was a survey, it could be that women underestimated their dietary fat intake, perhaps unwilling to admit to eating fatty foods.

“Non-diabetic, insulin-resistant individuals are particularly susceptible to the weight gain associated with high levels of dietary fat intake,” concludes a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado in Denver.

Here is a summary of research findings about the effects of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids on breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, cholesterol.

SATURATED FAT MAY NOT INCREASE THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE as much previously thought. This comes from a study lasting six years involving 43,757 male health professionals aged 40 to 75.

A CHILD’S FAT INTAKE seems to be influenced by an obese mother, but not an obese father, according to a recent study.

Women who lift weights decrease their fat intake, and the stronger they got the less fat they ate according to a recent study.

The calorie density of foods, rather than the fat content, affects how much a person eats according to a recent study.

FATTY FOODS AND A SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE are the key factors responsible for the increasing incidence of obesity according to respected obesity researcher Andrew Prentice. Here is the evidence he provides.

OBESE RATS FED A HIGH PALM OIL DIET gained more weight than those fed a high soybean oil diet. Weight increased 16 percent on the high palm oil diet compared to 10 percent on the soybean oil diet compared to no weight gain for those fed a low-fat diet. The body weight of naturally lean rats was not affected by the high-fat diets. The high-fat and low-fat diets contained 65 percent fat and 15 percent fat, respectively. This suggests that certain types of dietary fat may be more fattening in genetically susceptible individuals.

Higher sugar intake is associated with lower body weight in men, but not in women according to Gibson (1996). Men who consumed more sugar were thinner than men consuming less sugar (Gibson, 1996). This was true even in men consuming a high-fat diet containing more than 40 percent of their calories as fat, and after adjusting for age, smoking, energy, fat intake, and dieting.

High fat intake is associated with higher body weights in both men and women according to Macdiarmid et al (1998).

High-fat sweet foods such as cakes, biscuits, and chocolate are associated with obesity according to Macdiarmid et al (1998). Studies have also found that obese women have a preference for these foods.