Relationship of Macronutrients and Physical Activity to Chronic Disease

Over the last 40 years, a growing body of evidence has accumulated regarding the relationships among consumption of dietary fat, carbohydrate, protein, and energy and risk of chronic disease. The fact that diets are usually composed of a variety of foods that include varying amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and various fats imposes some limits on the type of research that can be conducted to ascertain causal relationships. The available data regarding the relationships among major chronic diseases that have been linked with consumption of dietary energy and macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein), as well as physical inactivity, are discussed below and are reviewed in greater detail in the specific nutrient chapters (Chapters 5 through 11) and the chapter on physical activity (Chapter 12).