Consumption of vegetable fats has been linked to a reduced risk of death

A large-scale cohort study of American, Chinese, Finnish, and Swedish scientists found that higher consumption of vegetable fats, especially fats from grains and vegetables, was associated with a reduced risk of death. As reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, consumption of such fats reduced the risk of death independently of other risk factors for death, including cardiovascular causes.

Dietary fats play important roles in a variety of biological functions, including cellular catabolic and anabolic processes and regulation of intercellular contacts. However, there is a significant difference in the effects of fats with unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. High consumption of fats with a high proportion of saturated fatty acids is thought to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acid intake has been associated with an improved lipid profile, but the effect depends on the source of the fat. Data on the effects of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid intake remain scattered and heterogeneous, making it difficult to draw conclusions about their effects on the risk of death and cardiovascular disease.

A team of scientists led by Jiaqi Huang from Central South University evaluated the association between the consumption of vegetable and animal fats from certain foods with total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality among 407531 adults (mean age 61.2 years) over a 24-year period. Mean daily vegetable fat intake was 24.7 grams and animal fat intake was 29.3 grams. Participants who consumed more vegetable fats were more prone to diabetes, had a higher body mass index, and consumed more energy.

During 24 years of follow-up (8107711 person-years), there were 185111 deaths, including 58526 deaths from cardiovascular disease. Statistical models showed that higher consumption of vegetable fats was associated with a reduced risk of total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality. After further adjustment for relevant food sources, the inverse association between vegetable fat intake remained statistically significant. Increased intake of vegetable fats, especially fats from cereal and vegetable oils was associated with a lower risk of death and death from cardiovascular disease (mean relative risk 0.90 according to lipid source, p for trend < 0.001). Additional analysis showed an average 15 percent lower risk of death.

In contrast, higher animal fat intake was associated with an increased risk of death and death from cardiovascular disease. High consumption of fats from eggs increased the risk of death by 40 percent and dairy fats by nine percent. Fats from red meat also increased the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by nine percent. And the most significant effect was seen among participants under the age of 60.

In addition, time-series analysis showed that replacing animal fat with an equivalent amount of vegetable fat, especially fat from grains or vegetable oils, was associated with a lower risk of mortality. Overall, the results of this large-scale study show a meaningful benefit from vegetable fat intake. Potentially, these findings could help physicians when counseling patients about diet and its impact on health.