Today, everywhere one looks there is some mention, in one form or another, of the need to reduce one’s dietary fat intake to 30 %, or less, in terms of calories. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association, all advocate dietary fat reduction to 30 % or less of total calories. But, are Americans heeding these messages?

The good news is that it actually appears that we are at least making some effort to reduce fat intake, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, CSFII). This survey shows that from 1994 to 1996 the average American diet contained 33 percent of total calories from fat, down from 40 percent in 1978, which is extremely encouraging.

However, what is NOT encouraging, is the finding that overall, Americans are reading heavier weights when they step on the scale. In fact, according to a recent survey published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of overweight Americans has jumped from 45% in 1991 to approximately 65%. That is definitely not a trend to be proud of, both in terms of health concerns and in terms of appearance. So WHY are we seeing increasing obesity in the American population if the percent of fat in the diet is decreasing – especially when one considers that fat has 9 calories per gram, while protein and carbohydrates only have 4 each.

The answer may be somewhat complex - experts on the matter believe that there are a number of factors contributing to the increase in body weight. The continuing pattern toward an increased reduction in physical inactivity by Americans has been cited by numerous researchers as a major contributing factor – in short we are becoming lazier and lazier as a people. Today, less than half of all Americans exercise on a regular basis. Compounding the problem, this sedentary lifestyle is coincident with a decline in manufacturing jobs, which means fewer people move around at work – and then go sit around once they return home.

Other factors include a decrease in physical activity caused by television, a continuing increase in the use of automobiles, and a decrease in physical education classes in schools. And these symptoms may be here to stay. Combine all of this with an increasing trend toward excessive caloric intake by adults from 1969 calories in 1978 to 2,200 in 1990, according to a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the resultant weight gains become more clear.

So, given all of the above, it is quite clear that a major factor in maintaining, increasing or decreasing one’s weight is still determined by the number of calories consumed versus the number of calories that are consumed as energy. If more calories are consumed than burned, the result is weight gain. And - merely controlling the number of grams of fat consumed, which was popular nutrition advice in the past, will not necessarily translate into a reduction in calories.

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