High-Fat Diets Were Associated with Lower 7-Year Mortality

Standard dietary advice to restrict total fat and saturated fatty acids (<30% and <10% of total energy, respectively) is based largely on a few observational studies conducted years ago in North America and Europe. However, recent meta-analyses have shown no association, or an inverse relation, between saturated fatty acid intake and total mortality and adverse cardiovascular (CV) events.

Researchers conducted detailed analyses of the diets of more than 135,000 people with a range of income levels in 18 countries on five continents. Participants were sorted into quintiles based on percentage of dietary energy derived from carbohydrates; protein; and total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Median follow-up was 7.4 years.

After adjustment for education, smoking, physical activity, diabetes, urban versus rural location, total energy intake, and geographic region, higher carbohydrate intake was associated with higher risk for overall mortality and non-CV–related death but was not associated with major adverse CV events assessed individually or as a group. Conversely, higher intakes of total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats were associated with lower risk for overall and non-CV–related death and were not associated with adverse CV events (other than an inverse relation between saturated fat intake and stroke).