Food preferences in human obesity: carbohydrates versus fats

Abstract

A large clinical sample of obese men and women were asked for a self-generated list of ten favorite foods. The lists were characterized by frequent instances of foods that are major nutrient sources of fat in the American diet. While obese men listed mainly protein/fat sources (meat dishes) among their favorite foods, obese women tended to list predominantly carbohydrate/fat sources (doughnuts, cookies, cake) and foods that were sweet. There was no evidence that selective preferences for a single macronutrient, carbohydrate, were a standard feature of human obesity. Rather, preferences for major nutrient sources of fat as opposed to carbohydrate may be a primary characteristic of human obesity syndromes.