| A review of the relationship between dietary fat and cardiovascular disease
National Heart Foundation of Australia
Abstract There is an ongoing debate regarding the relationship between the intake of dietary fats and health. In this paper, the Nutrition and Metabolism Advisory Committee of the National Heart Foundation of Australia reviews the evidence linking dietary fat consumption to cardiovascular health and disease. An extensive review of the scientific literature was conducted to obtain evidence that was categorised as good, moderate or little. Key findings from the review are that: emphasis be placed on restricting the combined intake of saturated and trans fatty acids to less than 8% of total energy intake, rather than on reducing total fat intake; n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids should contribute 8 to 10% of total energy intake; a proportion of saturated fatty acids should be replaced with n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids to achieve a ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids of greater than one; a proportion of dietary saturated fatty acids should be replaced by mono-unsaturated fatty acids as a strategy for reducing the intake of saturated fatty acids; at least two fish (preferably oily fish) meals should be consumed per week; and both plant and marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids should be consumed since it is possible that alpha-linolenic acid and marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against coronary heart disease by different mechanisms. [Aust J Nutr Diet 1999;56(4 Suppl):S5-S22.] |
Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 56, Number 4, December 1999 Supplement