The impact of dietary saturated fat replacement with unsaturated fat on the plasma lipidome and cardiometabolic disease risk

ABSTRACT Current dietary recommendations to limit consumption of saturated fat are largely based on early nutrition studies demonstrating a direct link between dietary saturated fat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. As full-fat dairy products are rich in saturated fat, these dietary guidelines recommend consumption of fat-free or low-fat dairy products in place of full-fat dairy. However, dairy products vary greatly in both their nutrient content and their bioactive ingredients, and research increasingly highlights the importance of focusing on whole foods (i.e., the food matrix) as opposed to single nutrients, such as saturated fat. In fact, the weight of evidence from recent large and well-controlled studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses of both observational studies and randomized controlled trials indicates that full-fat dairy products, particularly yogurt and cheese, do not exert the detrimental effects on insulin sensitivity, blood lipid profile, and blood pressure as previously predicted on the basis of their sodium and saturated fat contents; they do not increase cardiometabolic disease risk and may in fact protect against cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Although more research is warranted to adjust for possible confounding factors and to better understand the mechanisms of action of dairy products on health outcomes, it becomes increasingly clear that the recommendation to restrict dietary saturated fat to reduce risk of cardiometabolic disease is getting outdated. Therefore, the suggestion to restrict or eliminate full-fat dairy from the diet may not be the optimal strategy for reducing cardiometabolic disease risk and should be re-evaluated in light of recent evidence.

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Dairy Fat Consumption and the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: An Examination of the Saturated Fatty Acids in Dairy

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11092200 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 2200 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Unger ◽

Torres-Gonzalez ◽

Kraft

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Fatty Acids ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Saturated Fatty Acids ◽

Saturated Fat ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

The Body ◽

Specific Chemical ◽

Dairy Consumption ◽

The Impact

Lifestyle is a key modifiable risk factor involved in the manifestation of metabolic syndrome and, in particular, diet plays a pivotal role in its prevention and development. Current dietary guidelines discourage the consumption of saturated fat and dietary sources rich in saturated fat, such as dairy products, despite data suggesting that full-fat dairy consumption is protective against metabolic syndrome. This narrative review assessed the recent epidemiological and clinical research that examined the consumption of dairy-derived saturated fatty acids (SFA) on metabolic syndrome risk. In addition, this review evaluated studies of individual SFA to gain insight into the potential mechanisms at play with intake of a diet enriched with these dairy-derived fatty acids. This work underscores that SFA are a heterogenous class of fatty acids that can differ considerably in their biological activity within the body depending on their length and specific chemical structure. In summary, previous work on the impact of dairy-derived SFA consumption on disease risk suggests that there is currently insufficient evidence to support current dietary guidelines which consolidate all dietary SFA into a single group of nutrients whose consumption should be reduced, regardless of dietary source, food matrix, and composition.

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Interethnic Differences in Serum Lipids and Implications for Cardiometabolic Disease Risk in African Ancestry Populations

Global Heart ◽

10.1016/j.gheart.2017.01.011 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 141 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Amy R. Bentley ◽

Charles N. Rotimi

Keyword(s):

Serum Lipids ◽

Disease Risk ◽

African Ancestry ◽

Cardiometabolic Disease ◽

Interethnic Differences ◽

Cardiometabolic Disease Risk

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Inflammatory markers are altered in severe mental disorders independent of comorbid cardiometabolic disease risk factors – ERRATUM

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291719000291 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 49 (10) ◽

pp. 1758-1758

Author(s):

Ragni H. Mørch ◽

Ingrid Dieset ◽

Ann Færden ◽

Elina J. Reponen ◽

Sigrun Hope ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Cardiometabolic Disease ◽

Severe Mental Disorders ◽

Cardiometabolic Disease Risk

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Distinct phenotypic characteristics of normal-weight adults at risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1093/ajcn/nqaa194 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 112 (4) ◽

pp. 967-978

Author(s):

Abishek Stanley ◽

John Schuna ◽

Shengping Yang ◽

Samantha Kennedy ◽

Moonseong Heo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Risk ◽

Body Shape ◽

Metabolic Diseases ◽

Disease Risk ◽

White Men ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Cardiometabolic Disease ◽

Men And Women ◽

Distinct Phenotype ◽

Cardiometabolic Disease Risk

ABSTRACT Background The normal-weight BMI range (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) includes adults with body shape and cardiometabolic disease risk features of excess adiposity, although a distinct phenotype developed on a large and diverse sample is lacking. Objective To identify demographic, behavioral, body composition, and health-risk biomarker characteristics of people in the normal-weight BMI range who are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases based on body shape. Methods Six nationally representative waist circumference index (WCI, weight/height0.5) prediction formulas, with BMI and age as covariates, were developed using data from 17,359 non-Hispanic (NH) white, NH black, and Mexican-American NHANES 1999–2006 participants. These equations were then used to predict WCI in 5594 NHANES participants whose BMI was within the normal weight range. Men and women in each race/Hispanic-origin group were then separated into high, medium, and low tertiles based on the difference (residual) between measured and predicted WCI. Characteristics were compared across tertiles; P values for significance were adjusted for multiple comparisons. Results Men and women in the high WCI residual tertile, relative to their BMI and age-equivalent counterparts in the low tertile, had significantly lower activity levels; higher percent trunk and total body fat (e.g. NH white men, X ± SE, 25.3 ± 0.2% compared with 20.4 ± 0.2%); lower percent appendicular lean mass (skeletal muscle) and bone mineral content; and higher plasma insulin and triglycerides, higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (e.g. NH white men, 1.45 ± 0.07 compared with 1.08 ± 0.06), and lower plasma HDL cholesterol. Percent leg fat was also significantly higher in men but lower in women. Similar patterns of variable statistical significance were present within sex and race/ethnic groups. Conclusions Cardiometabolic disease risk related to body shape in people who are normal weight according to BMI is characterized by a distinct phenotype that includes potentially modifiable behavioral health risk factors.

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