The article seeks to review studies on unhealthy eating patterns for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) and its association with body fat in adults, published between 2005 and 2012. The articles were systematically reviewed by two independent researchers in Medline, Lilacs, and Scielo using the following key words: food consumption, chronic diseases, anthropometry, body fat, and adults. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, all conducted on the Brazilian population. The prevalence of overweight and abdominal fat ranged from 38.6% to 51.3% and 23.4% to 43.1%, respectively. In the majority of studies, fruit and vegetable consumption was below the recommended level. A significant association between food patterns and anthropometric profile was found in five studies. The variations in the prevalence and in the results of the studies indicate the need for standardization of data collection instruments and methods used, as well as conducting studies with a more appropriate design. The high prevalence of overweight and low consumption of food meeting healthy eating standards indicates the need for intervention measures.