Carbohydrates, and more of them, blamed for weight gain, especially in women.

2004 MAR 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Americans, especially women, are getting fatter because they eat much more of everything than they did 30 years ago, and carbohydrates are the biggest culprit, the U.S. government says.

In the year 2000, women ate the equivalent of one more large chocolate chip cookie every day - 335 more calories - compared to what they ate in 1971. Men ate 168 more calories - slightly more than a 12-ounce Pepsi - each day, according to the study published in the February 5, 2004, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The majority of the increase in calories is from an increase in carbohydrate intake," said Jacqueline Wright, a CDC epidemiologist and study author.

And she doesn't mean fruits and vegetables. It's the cookies, bagels, chips, pasta, and soda that are to blame.

The extra calories are leading to extra pounds and chronic health problems. Obesity rates jumped from 14.5% of U.S. adults in 1971 to 30.9% in 2000, said Wright.

The average intake for men grew from 2,450 calories in 1971 to 2,618 calories in 2000. For women, caloric intake grew from 1,542 calories to 1,877 calories during the same time period.

The government recommends about 1,600 daily calories for women and 2,200 for men, more for active people.