New studies suggest that we could be missing data when it comes to our diets and heart disease advice. The dietary advice we currently receive about fats and the risk of heart disease have been called into question as a clinical trial shows that replacing saturated animal fats with omega-6 polyunsaturated vegetable fats could increase the risk of fatalities from heart disease. Researchers have stated that their findings could implicate dietary recommendations worldwide. The advice regarding fats as a way of reducing the risk of heart disease has been a cornerstone of dietary guidelines for the past half century, with the most common dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) being omega-6 linoleic acid, or n-6 LA.
The recommendations in the UK cautiously state that high intakes of omega-6 PUFAs could be dangerous, but other health authorities such as the American Heart Association have suggested that patients should maintain, and even increase, their intake of these fats. This has been seen as controversial as the evidence that linoleic acid can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease is limited. Researchers are keen to analyse newly discovered data regarding the effects of linoleic acid on deaths from coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease, which wasn’t previously available as it was missing. Using modern statistical methods to compare the death rates from all causes, researchers analysed 458 men aged between 30 and 59 years of age – these men had a recent coronary event, such as a heart attack or angina.
The results of the study showed that those in the group consuming omega-6 linoleic acid had a higher risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease, compared to those in the controlled group. Researchers then used the new data they’d gathered to update the earlier meta-analysis to discover that there was no evidence of any benefit, as well as a possible increase in risk of cardiovascular disease. These results show that we need to rethink the mechanisms that link our diets to heart disease.