Abstract P061: Dietary Intake of Saturated Fat by Food Source and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: the Zutphen Elderly Study

Abstract

Introduction: Associations of saturated fatty acids (SFA) with coronary heart disease (CHD) may depend on their food source. We examined the association of SFA intake from different food sources, with 15-year incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in elderly men in the Netherlands. Methods: Data were collected from 686 elderly men from the Zutphen Elderly Study, aged 65-85 years with no CHD or diabetes mellitus. At baseline (1985), habitual diet was assessed with a cross-check dietary history method. Information on vital status and incidence of CHD (fatal CHD and nonfatal myocardial infarction) until July 1, 2000 was assessed through municipal population registries and hospital or GP records. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated with Cox proportional-hazards models, adjusted for age, lifestyle (smoking, BMI, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and alcohol consumption) and dietary factors including total energy, carbohydrates, protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids and dietary fibre. In addition, substitution models were used to estimate the exchange of 2 en% SFA from different sources, i.e. dairy, meat, and plant or butter SFA. Results: During 15 years of follow-up, we observed 132 incident CHD events. Across tertiles (T), the intake of SFA ranged from 14.2 (T1) to 21.7 (T3) energy percent (en%). Plant or butter SFA contributed for 37 en% to total SFA intake, followed by dairy (27%) and meat (17%). Total SFA intake correlated most strongly with plant or butter SFA (r=0.71). Spearman correlation coefficients of total SFA with dairy and meat were 0.34 and 0.09 respectively (all p<0.05). The intake of total SFA was not significantly associated with CHD (HR: 0.76; 95%CI: 0.41-1.39) for T3 vs T1. HRs for plant or butter SFA, dairy SFA, and meat SFA were 0.96 (0.55-1.69), 0.82 (0.48-1.40), and 1.64 (0.89-3.04) respectively, for the top compared to the bottom tertile. A 2 en% higher intake of SFA from dairy or meat, exchanged with plant or butter SFA, resulted in a HR of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.79-1.20) for dairy and 1.12 (0.75-1.66) for meat. The HR (95% CI) for an exchange of 2 en% SFA from dairy with SFA from meat was 1.15 (95% CI: 0.80-1.66). Conclusion: In Dutch elderly men, total SFA or SFA from specific food sources were not significantly associated with incident CHD. The association of SFA from meat with CHD deserves further attention.