Specific Dietary Fat Intake and Heart Disease

Tanasescu M, Cho E, Manson JE, et al.: Dietary fat and cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease among women with type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr 79:999–1005, 2004.

What is the problem, and what is known about it so far?

Not much is known about a link between dietary fats, cholesterol, and heart disease in patients with diabetes.

The researchers did an earlier study on the link between major types of fat and the risk of heart disease. They used a database for that study. Using the same database, the researchers looked at the links between different types of dietary fat (like saturated fats, trans fats, polyunsaturated fats) and the risk of heart diseases in women with type 2 diabetes.

Who was studied?

A total of 5,672 women with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) were studied. They were 30 to 55 years old and lived in several areas of the United States. NHS ran from 1976 to 1998.

How was the study done?

The researchers reviewed surveys filled out by NHS participants. Some of this information included how often people ate, their cholesterol levels, and whether they had heart disease or had experienced a heart attack.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers found that women in this study who ate more saturated fat (like the fat found in hamburgers and french fries) exercised less. Women who ate more cholesterol had a higher body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height) and were more likely to use insulin or other medicines for their diabetes. They also had a higher risk of getting heart disease. This risk was greater the more cholesterol and saturated fat they ate. Eating monounsaturated fat (a "good" fat found in foods like avocados and nuts) lowered their risk.

What are the implications of the study?

People with diabetes should reduce the amount of cholesterol they eat and replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats.