Association Between Dietary Fatty Acid Intake With Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Serum Lipid Levels

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite early interest in the effects of dietary fats on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), substantial controversy remains regarding the evidence linking different types of fatty acids to CVDs. This study aimed to examine the association between dietary fat intake, CVD risk, and serum lipid biomarkers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included data from 4200 adult participants (1218 patients with CVDs and 2982 healthy participants) from the Persian Cohort Study. Data on heart disease (hypertension, myocardial infarction, and ischemic heart disease) were collected. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and the intake of different fatty acids was evaluated using Nutritionist-IV software. Serum lipid profiles were analysed using enzymatic and chromatographic methods. RESULTS: Higher monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) intake showed an inverse association with CVDs (OR = 0.931, 95 CI: 0.867-0.998, p = 0.045). Adjustments for age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, BMI, and caloric intake did not alter this association. No significant associations were observed for other dietary fats. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest an inverse association between MUFA intake and CVD risk. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm these results.