Diets higher in saturated fat lower the risk of death from heart disease and stroke

This post includes a summary of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 4, 2010 and a recipe for bacon, roasted red pepper, onion frittata.

Study title and authors:
Dietary intake of saturated fatty acids and mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk Study?1,2,3

Books:

Kazumasa Yamagishi, Hiroyasu Iso, Hiroshi Yatsuya, Naohito Tanabe, Chigusa Date, Shogo Kikuchi, Akio Yamamoto, Yutaka Inaba, Akiko Tamakoshi and for the JACC Study Group

Address correspondence to H Iso, Public Health, Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871 Japan.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.29146v1

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of saturated fat with  the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. The study included 58,453 participants, aged 40-79 years, who were followed for 14.1 years. 

The study found:
(a) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 31% reduced risk of death from all strokes compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.
(b) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 52% reduced risk of death from intraparenchymal hemorrhage compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat. (Intraparenchymal hemorrhage is bleeding within the brain tissue).
(c) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 9% reduced risk of death from subarachnoid hemorrhage compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat. (Subarachnoid hemorrhage is when blood leaks into the space between two membranes that surround the brain).
(d) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 42% reduced risk of death from ischemic stroke compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat. (Ischemic stroke occurs as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain).
(e) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 7% reduced risk of death from heart disease compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.
(f) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 15% reduced risk of death from a heart attack compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.
(g) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 50% reduced risk of death from cardiac arrest compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat. (Cardiac arrest is where the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body).
(h) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 1% reduced risk of death from heart failure compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.
(i) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 18% reduced risk of death from all cardiovascular diseases compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.

The data from the study reveals that a diet higher in saturated fat lowers the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

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Recipe of the day

Bacon, Roasted Red Pepper, Onion Frittata

Ingredients:

◦6 eggs

◦3 strips of bacon, crumbled

Food Mall: Bacon

◦2 green onions, chopped

◦3 basil leaves, chopped
◦1/2 roasted red pepper, chopped
◦1/4 t vinegar or lemon juice

Method:
Grease an oven safe baking dish (a pie or tart pan works great here) and turn the oven to 350F.

In a bowl whisk together all the ingredients and pour them into the greased baking dish. Bake for approx. 20 minutes–or when you gently agitate the dish, the center doesn’t jiggle.