The energetics of body weight recovery after low food intake was examined in the rat during refeeding for 2 weeks with isocaloric amounts of high-fat (HF) diets providing 50% of energy as either lard, coconut oil, olive oil, safflower oil, menhaden fish oil, or a mixture of all these fat types. The results indicate that for both body fat and protein, the efficiency of deposition was dependent on the dietary fat type. The most striking differences were found (1) between diets rich in n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), with the diet high in fish oil resulting in a greater body fat deposition and lower protein gain than the diet high in safflower oil; and (2) between diets rich in long-chain (LCT) and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), with the diet high in lard resulting in a greater gain in both body fat and protein than the diet high in coconut oil. Furthermore, the diet high in olive oil (a monounsaturated fat) and the mixed-fat diet (containing all fat types) were found to be similar to the fish oil diet in that the efficiency of fat deposition was greater (and that of protein gain lower) than with the diet high in safflower oil. Neither the efficiency of fat gain nor that of protein gain were found to correlate with fasting plasma insulin, the insulin to glucose ratio, or plasma lipids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)