People who eat a diet that contains plant-based fats are less likely to die.
- Higher intake of vegetable fats, particularly from cereals and vegetable oils, is linked to lower overall and cardiovascular disease mortality.
- A diet high in animal fats, especially fats from dairy and eggs, increases the risk of death.
- Replacing 5% of energy from animal fat with 5% of energy from plant fat, particularly fat from cereals or vegetable oils, is associated with a lower risk of mortality.
The body needs dietary fat to function. “Plant-based fats are known for their higher composition of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, while animal-based fats are characterized by a higher proportion of saturated fatty acids,” indicated an international team of researchers. Currently, recommendations suggest replacing animal fats with plant-based ones. But how much would this help people in the long run? To find out, scientists conducted a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Cereals, oils: consuming more vegetable fats reduces mortality
In the work, they examined associations between plant and animal fat consumption and overall mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality. To do this, they reviewed dietary and health data collected from 1995 to 2019 in a large cohort. The analysis included 407,531 adults with an average age of 61 at enrollment. Over the 24-year follow-up, participants were divided into groups, from the top 20% who consumed the most plant-based dietary fat each day to the bottom 20% who consumed the least and ate more animal fat.
According to the results, more than 185,111 people died, including 58,526 from cardiovascular disease. The authors found that higher consumption of vegetable fats was associated with a lower risk of overall mortality and from heart disease. In detail, adults who ate the most fats from cereals and vegetable oils had a 12% lower risk of dying from all causes and a 15% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Eating a lot of meat, eggs and dairy linked to high risk of death
In contrast, higher consumption of total animal fat was linked to an increased risk of mortality for both overall mortality and mortality from heart disease. Compared with participants who consumed the least amount of animal fat per day, those who consumed the most were 16% more likely to die from any cause and 14% more likely to die from heart disease. This trend is not limited to fat from meat, the researchers said. Death rates were also higher among people who consumed a lot of fat from dairy or eggs on a daily basis.
“So what happens if a person decides to switch from meat, dairy and eggs to vegetables, grains and plant-based milks?” By doing the math, the team found that replacing 5% of energy from animal fats with 5% of energy from plant fats, particularly fats from grains or vegetable oils, reduces overall mortality by 4% to 24% and cardiovascular mortality by 5% to 30%.
