Research
Energy balance
High-fat diets promote obesity primarily by increasing voluntary energy intake due to high energy density and palatability, and by failing to stimulate fat oxidation, leading to positive fat balance.
Focus on reducing energy-dense foods rather than just fat grams. High-fat foods are often high in energy density, which makes it easier to overeat. Additionally, your body doesn't burn excess dietary fat quickly, so it tends to store it.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
High-fat diets, due to their high energy density, stimulate voluntary energy intake. An increased fat intake does not stimulate its own oxidation but the fat is stored in the human body.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple controlled studies and a comprehensive review of epidemiological data.
Source
The role of high-fat diets and physical activity in the regulation of body weight
Patrick Schrauwen et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2000
DOI 10.1017/s0007114500001720
narrative_reviewCited 272×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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