Eating less fat is MORE important than cutting out sugar as 'this is where we consume the most calories'

Many a dieter now cuts out sweet treats or carbs in order to slim down. But focusing too much on reducing sugar intake might detract from a need to cut down on fat, experts have said. The calories consumed by overweight or obese people are more likely to come from fat, a new study found.

Experts urged people to reduce their overall calorie intake - no matter what type of food the calories come from - in order to reduce obesity.Co-lead author Jill Pell, of the University of Glasgow, said: 'The critical message is that people need to reduce their overall calories. 

'If focusing attention on sugar results in people compensating by eating more crisps then we will fail to
combat obesity.' Researchers examined data from more than 130,000 people across the UK who completed diet questionnaires and had their measurements taken at a clinic.The study found that 66 per cent of the men and 52 per cent of the women were overweight or obese.

The strongest predictors of body mass index were total calories consumed and calories from fat, they found.

Compared with normal weight people, those who were overweight or obese obtained a higher proportion of their calories from fat but a lower proportion from sugar.

'The proportion of energy from fat in the diet, but not sugar, is higher among overweight/obese individuals,' the authors wrote. 

'Focusing public health messages on sugar may mislead on the need to reduce fat and overall energy consumption.'

Globally, obesity has more than doubled since 1980, according to the World Health Organisation.

In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 600 million were obese.

This meant 39 per cent of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2014, and 13 per cent were obese.

Being overweight or obese is associated with heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, muscular skeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis and some types of cancer. - Daily Mail