Increasing dietary polyunsaturated fats and decreasing saturated fats is associated with an increase in both overall death rates and heart disease death rates

This study was published in the British Medical Journal 2013 Feb 4;346:e8707

Study title and authors:
Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis.

Ramsden CE, Zamora D, Leelarthaepin B, Majchrzak-Hong SF, Faurot KR, Suchindran CM, Ringel A, Davis JM, Hibbeln JR.
Laboratory of Membrane Biophysics and Biochemistry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23386268

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of replacing dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, for the prevention of coronary heart disease and death in men with heart disease. The study lasted for 39 months and included 458 men, aged 30-59 years, who had had a heart attack or angina.

The men were allocated into two groups and instructed to either:
(i) Increase their polyunsaturated fat intake to about 15%, reduce their intake of saturated fat and to less than 10% and reduce their dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day. To achieve these targets these men were provided with liquid safflower oil and safflower oil polyunsaturated margarine (high polyunsaturated fat group).
(ii) Carry on with their normal diet (saturated fat group).

The study found:
(a) After 12 months the cholesterol levels of the men on the high polyunsaturated fat diet were 8.5% lower than the men on the high saturated fat diet.
(b) Men who consumed the high polyunsaturated fat diet had a 62% increased risk of death compared to the men who consumed the high saturated fat diet.
(c) Men who consumed the high polyunsaturated fat diet had a 70% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared to the men who consumed the high saturated fat diet.
(d) Men who consumed the high polyunsaturated fat diet had a 62% increased risk of death from heart disease compared to the men who consumed the high saturated fat diet.

The study shows that increasing dietary polyunsaturated fats and decreasing saturated fats is associated with an increase in both overall death rates and heart disease death rates.

Middle-aged men and women who consume the most saturated fat live longer and have a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases

This study was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine 2005 Aug;258(2):153-65

 

Study title and authors:

Dietary fat intake and early mortality patterns--data from The Malmö Diet and Cancer Study.

Leosdottir M, Nilsson PM, Nilsson JA, Månsson H, Berglund G.

Department of Medicine, Lund University, University Hospital (UMAS), Malmö, Sweden. margret.leosdottir@med.lu.se

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16018792

This study examined the association of fat consumption with death rates. The study included 28,098 middle-aged individuals who were followed for an average of 6.6 years.

The study found:
(a) Women who consumed the most saturated fat had an 11% reduced risk of death compared to women who consumed the least saturated fat.
(b) Men who consumed the most saturated fat had a 9% reduced risk of death compared to men who consumed the least saturated fat.
(c) Women who consumed the most saturated fat had a 45% reduced risk of a cardiovascular disease death compared to women who consumed the least saturated fat.
(d) Men who consumed the most saturated fat had a 6% reduced risk of a cardiovascular disease death compared to men who consumed the least saturated fat.

The data from the study reveals that middle-aged men and women who consume the most saturated fat live longer and have a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases.

Men who consume the most cholesterol, meat and saturated fat live the longest

This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1989 Nov;50(5):1095-103

 

Study title and authors:

Diet and 20-y mortality in two rural population groups of middle-aged men in Italy.

Farchi G, Mariotti S, Menotti A, Seccareccia F, Torsello S, Fidanza F.

Laboratorio di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2816794

This study analysed the relationship of diet on cardiovascular disease and death rates. The study included 1,536 men aged 45-64 who were followed for 20 years.

After 15 years the study found:
(a) Men who were alive consumed 8.7% more fat than men who had died.
(b) Men who were alive consumed 18.1% more fat than men who had died of heart disease.
(c) Men who were alive consumed 7.4% more saturated fat than men who had died.
(d) Men who were alive consumed 21.4% more saturated fat than men who had died of heart disease.

The men were also analysed by a different method whereby they were divided up into four different groups where each group represented a different dietary pattern. For example group (1) consumed the least cholesterol, meat and saturated fat whereas group (3) consumed the most cholesterol, meat and saturated fat. The consumption amounts of groups (2) and (4) were intermediate between groups (1) and (3).

After analylising the data, the researchers found that after 20 years those men in group (1) (the lowest consumers of cholesterol, meat and saturated fat) had a 25.1% increased risk of death compared to the men in group (3) (the highest consumers of cholesterol, meat and saturated fat). The death rates of groups (2) and (4) were intermediate between groups (1) and (3).

The data from the study shows that men who consume the most cholesterol, meat and saturated fat live the longest.

Men who consume the most fat and saturated fat live longer and have a lower risk of dying from heart disease

This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1980 Aug;33(8):1818-27

 

Study title and authors:

Relationship of dietary intake to subsequent coronary heart disease incidence: The Puerto Rico Heart Health Program.

Garcia-Palmieri MR, Sorlie P, Tillotson J, Costas R Jr, Cordero E, Rodriguez M.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7405884

This study investigated the relationship between intakes of various nutrients and total death rates and heart disease death rates. The study included 8,218 urban and rural Puerto Rican man aged 45 to 64 who were followed for six years.

Regarding fat and saturated fat intake, the study found:
(a) Urban men who died consumed 12% less fat compared to the urban men who survived.
(b) Urban men who died consumed 11% less saturated fat compared to the urban men who survived.
(c) Urban men who died of heart disease consumed 2% less fat compared to the urban men who survived.
(d) Urban men who died of heart disease consumed 5% less saturated fat compared to the urban men who survived.
(e) Rural men who died consumed 12% less fat compared to the rural men who survived.
(f) Rural men who died consumed 12% less saturated fat compared to the rural men who survived.
(g) Rural men who died of heart disease consumed 13% less fat compared to the rural men who survived.
(h) Rural men who died of heart disease consumed 9% less saturated fat compared to the rural men who survived.
(i) Urban men who died consumed 10% less cholesterol compared to the urban men who survived.
(j) Rural men who died consumed 8% less cholesterol compared to the rural men who survived.

The data from the study reveals that men who consume the most fat and saturated fat live longer and have a lower risk of dying from heart disease.