To explain why so many people in developed countries are chronically overfed, tend to accumulate fat, and are at increased risk for cardiometabolic disease, researchers suggest looking no further than the revised Food Triangle and a new model for understanding the impact of exercise and the oxidation and breakdown of nutrients to fuel the body.

 Complex factors such as caloric load, cellular respiration, and even how we perceive food all contribute to this new paradigm for defining healthy eating, which is presented in a review article published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, a peer-reviewed journal.

Researchers expand on the new Food Triangle to create a model that can be used to predict the effects of oxidative priority, which describes the fate of the molecular components of food as they leave the digestive tract. Are they used or stored and how does this impact caloric load, risk of weight gain, and fat accumulation?

In the article entitled "Oxidative Priority, Meal Frequency, and the Energy Economy of Food and Activity: Implications for Longevity, Obesity, and Cardiometabolic Disease," the researchers also focus on the changing relationship with food that has emerged with modern society. People in developed countries tend to view food less as a source of sustenance and instead seek out certain foods either for their taste and desirability or to fulfill the requirements of a particular diet, whether or not that meets their nutritional needs.

However, it is far from clear what optimal nutrition is for the general population or specific individuals. Researchers previously described the Food Triangle as a way to organize food based on an increasing energy density paradigm, and now expand on this model to predict the impact of oxidative priority and both nutrient and fiber density in relation to caloric load.

When combined with meal frequency, integrated energy expenditure, macronutrient oxidative priority, and fuel partitioning expressed by the respiratory quotient, authors model also offers a novel explanation for chronic overnutrition and the cause of excess body fat accumulation.

Herein, authors not only review how metabolism is a dynamic process subject to many regulators that mediate the fate of ingested calories but also discuss how the Food Triangle predicts the oxidative priority of ingested foods and provides a conceptual paradigm for healthy eating supported by health and longevity research.

"This review provides valuable insights into the relationship between energy intake and expenditure-this is key to understanding obesity as a public health problem," says Editor-in-Chief of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders.

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2016.0108