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Obese People Produce More Fat After Meal

Updated 1:28 PM ET February 5, 2001
By Merritt McKinney
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Overweight men respond to a carbohydrate-rich
meal differently than lean men, researchers report. When given the same
meal, heavier men tend to have higher fat production in their livers,
increased rates of certain blood fats and lower oxidation of fats.

If these metabolic responses to simple carbohydrates--like the ones in white
bread, pasta and simple sugars--continue over time, they may upset a
person's nutritional balance, one of the study's authors, Dr. J. Alfredo
Martinez, of the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, told Reuters
Health.

The findings may mean that some people become overweight because they are
able to store sugars as fats more easily, according to Martinez. However, it
is not clear from the study if the difference in fat production is caused by
obesity, or obesity leads to changes in fat production.

In the study, six lean and seven overweight men ate a high-carbohydrate,
low-fat meal after fasting for nearly 18 hours. Several aspects of the men's
metabolism were measured during fasting and after eating, according to the
report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The authors note that more research is needed to understand the differences
in the way people metabolize nutrients, including potential genetic
variations that may account for the differences.

To maintain a healthy body weight, it is important to strike a balance
between proteins, carbohydrates and fat, the researchers point out. Since
eating carbohydrates reduces the body's need to rely on fat for fuel, the
investigators suspected that the way the body processes carbohydrates might
have an effect on body weight.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001;73:253-261.
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