MUFA Diet
Plant-derived Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) May Reduce Risk of Death from Heart Disease and Other Causes
According to research presented by the American Heart Association; Diets rich in plant-based monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) are associated with a lower risk of death compared to diets rich in animal-derived monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA).
The results of this research highlight the importance of the source and amount of monounsaturated fatty acids in the diet. Accordingly, monounsaturated fatty acids of plant origin should be consumed more and monounsaturated fatty acids of animal origin should be consumed less in the diet.
In this study, risk factors that were present when participants were included in the study were also taken into account:
- Ethnicity
- smoking status
- Alcohol, fruit, vegetable consumption and total calorie intake
- familial history of chronic disease
- physical activity
· BMI
Monounsaturated fatty acids are usually liquid at room temperature and solidify when cooled. Examples of monounsaturated fatty acids of plant origin are olive and other vegetable oils, avocados and oilseeds. Examples of monounsaturated fatty acids of animal origin are full-fat dairy products, eggs, chicken, red meat and fish.
To evaluate the effect of monounsaturated fatty acid consumption on death from cardiovascular disease and other causes, the researchers used data from 63,412 women and 29,966 men. A detailed food consumption frequency questionnaire was applied every 4 years to evaluate the diet composition of the participants.
Over an average of 22 years of follow-up, 20,672 deaths occurred among the participants, and of those who died, 4,588 died from heart disease. The following results were obtained by analyzing the diet information of the participants by the researchers:
- Participants who consumed higher amounts of plant-derived monounsaturated fatty acids had a 16% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who consumed low amounts of MUFAs.
- Participants who consumed higher amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids of animal origin had a 21% higher risk of death from any cause.
- Consuming monounsaturated fatty acids of animal origin with the same calorie content instead of consuming saturated fat, trans fat and refined carbohydrates (such as simple sugar) in the diet can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes by 10-15%.
- Consuming plant-derived monounsaturated fatty acids with the same calorie content instead of consuming saturated fat, trans fat and refined carbohydrates (such as simple sugar) in the diet can reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes by 24-26%.