Open AccessTotal Dietary Fat Intake, Fat Quality, and Health Outcomes: A Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews of Prospective Studies
Author(s) -
Lukas Schwingshackl,
Jasmin Zähringer,
Jessica Beyerbach,
Sarah W. Werner,
H. Heseker,
Berthold Koletzko,
Joerg J Meerpohl
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
annals of nutrition and metabolism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.926
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1421-9697
pISSN - 0250-6807
DOI - 10.1159/000515058
Subject(s) - polyunsaturated fatty acid , medicine , context (archaeology) , prospective cohort study , saturated fat , fatty liver , fatty acid , disease , cholesterol , biology , biochemistry , paleontology
We conducted a scoping review of systematic reviews (SRs) on dietary fat intake and health outcomes in human adults within the context of a position paper by the “International Union of Nutritional Sciences Task force on Dietary Fat Quality” tasked to summarize the available evidence and provide dietary recommendations. Methods: We systematically searched several databases for relevant SRs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and/or prospective cohort studies published between 2015 and 2019 assessing the association between dietary fat and health outcomes. Results: Fifty-nine SRs were included. The findings from SRs of prospective cohort studies, which frequently compare the highest versus lowest intake categories, found mainly no association of total fat, monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and saturated fatty acid (SFA) with risk of chronic diseases. SRs of RCTs applying substitution analyses indicate that SFA replacement with PUFA and/or MUFA improves blood lipids and glycemic control, with the effect of PUFA being more pronounced. A higher intake of total trans-fatty acid (TFA), but not ruminant TFA, was probably associated with an increased risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease based on existing SRs. Conclusion: Overall, the available published evidence deems it reasonable to recommend replacement of SFA with MUFA and PUFA and avoidance of consumption of industrial TFA.