Fat consumption is the only cause of weight gain, not carbs or protein

Eating lots of fatty acids is the only cause of weight gain – not feasting on carbs or protein, new research suggests.

Scientists have scratched their heads for years of bulging waistlines, reports to the Daily Mail. 19659002] Now "unequivocal" trials on mice pinpoint fat as the problem – and commonly-thought as the cause of the disease

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Mice fed fat-heavy diets consumed the most calories because fat stimulated the reward centers in their brains, scientists found.

But Western diets, abundant in saturated fats, have been blamed for people in the UK and the US eating

Researchers at Aberdeen University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A major drawback in conducting human studies on the effects of diets is time, as most

However, studies on animals that are genetically similar, such as mice, could help point researchers in the right direction.

Professor John Speakman, who led the study, said the new findings offer a 'good clue' (19659011) A total of 30 different diets were given to mice over a period of three months – the equivalent of nine years.

Each varied in their fat, carbohydrate (sugar) and protein content.

More than 100,000 measurements of body weight changes were made, including a micro machine MRI to assess body fat.

Professor Speakman said: "The result of this enormous study was One of the most important things about dietary fat in their diets.

"These effects of dietary fat appear to be uniquely fat in the diet stimulated the reward centers in the brain, stimulating greater intake."

Mice fed carb-loaded diets, including up to 30 per cent of their calorie intake from sugar, gained no significant weight.

Cell Metabolism

Professor Speakman and colleagues also debunked a widely-held belief that low protein diets can stimulate a greater intake of food.

They uncovered "no evidence" that diets based on low protein, slashed to five per cent of calories, inc

Professor Speakman said: "We are never going to do studies where the diets of humans are controlled for such long periods.

During the 1980s and 1990s, it was widely accepted that the most important factor in weight gain is the fat content of

However, it was suggested that this focus was misplaced, and the main factor driving obesity was refined carbs.

Several hugely popular books were published in this period

In recent years, however, caution has turned to protein, with the hypothesis that people eat food mostly to obtain protein

According to this idea, when the protein content falls , humans eat more to meet the target protein intake – causing them to consume too many calories.