Men who consume the most cholesterol, meat and saturated fat live the longest

This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1989 Nov;50(5):1095-103

 

Study title and authors:

Diet and 20-y mortality in two rural population groups of middle-aged men in Italy.

Farchi G, Mariotti S, Menotti A, Seccareccia F, Torsello S, Fidanza F.

Laboratorio di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2816794

This study analysed the relationship of diet on cardiovascular disease and death rates. The study included 1,536 men aged 45-64 who were followed for 20 years.

After 15 years the study found:
(a) Men who were alive consumed 8.7% more fat than men who had died.
(b) Men who were alive consumed 18.1% more fat than men who had died of heart disease.
(c) Men who were alive consumed 7.4% more saturated fat than men who had died.
(d) Men who were alive consumed 21.4% more saturated fat than men who had died of heart disease.

The men were also analysed by a different method whereby they were divided up into four different groups where each group represented a different dietary pattern. For example group (1) consumed the least cholesterol, meat and saturated fat whereas group (3) consumed the most cholesterol, meat and saturated fat. The consumption amounts of groups (2) and (4) were intermediate between groups (1) and (3).

After analylising the data, the researchers found that after 20 years those men in group (1) (the lowest consumers of cholesterol, meat and saturated fat) had a 25.1% increased risk of death compared to the men in group (3) (the highest consumers of cholesterol, meat and saturated fat). The death rates of groups (2) and (4) were intermediate between groups (1) and (3).

The data from the study shows that men who consume the most cholesterol, meat and saturated fat live the longest.