Research

Energy balance

Increasing dietary fat percentage within the typical US range (26-40% of calories) causes a significant linear increase in voluntary ad libitum energy intake, independent of palatability or hunger cues.

If you are trying to manage your weight, be aware that diets higher in fat (within typical ranges) may lead you to eat more calories automatically, even if the food tastes just as good. Reducing the percentage of calories from fat, even slightly, might help you naturally eat fewer calories without feeling hungrier.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Voluntary energy intake increased significantly as dietary fat content increased (P = 0.008)... These results show that energy intake increases as dietary fat content increases across the usual range of dietary fat consumed in the United States.
William T. Donahoo et al. · Obesity · 2008

Why this rating

Controlled feeding trial with weighed food measures, though limited to healthy, non-obese subjects.

Source

Dietary Fat Increases Energy Intake Across the Range of Typical Consumption in the United States

William T. Donahoo et al. · Obesity · 2008

DOI 10.1038/oby.2007.31

crossover · n=22Cited 44×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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