A large Canadian study is challenging conventional wisdom that says a low-fat diet is optimal for cardiovascular health and reduces the risk of premature death.

The McMaster University study of more than 135,000 people in 18 countries found that eating a moderate amount of all types of fat is linked to a reduced risk of early mortality compared to the much-touted low-fat diet 91裸聊视频� while consuming a high-carbohydrate diet is associated with an increased risk of dying early.

91裸聊视频淐ontrary to popular belief, increased consumption of dietary fats is associated with a lower risk of death,91裸聊视频� said lead author Mahshid Dehghan, a nutrition epidemiologist at the Hamilton university91裸聊视频檚 Population Health and Research Institute.

91裸聊视频淭hose with a high-fat intake, about 30 per cent of energy intake, had a 23 per cent lower risk of mortality and an 18 per cent lower risk of stroke, compared to the low-intake group, which had 11 per cent energy from fat,91裸聊视频� Dehghan said from Barcelona, where she presented the findings Tuesday to the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

91裸聊视频淭he association with lower mortality was also seen with all major types of fat, by which I mean saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.91裸聊视频�

Research with 135,000+ people shows a moderate intake of fat, fruits, and vegetables lowers risk of death.

91裸聊视频� McMaster University (@McMasterU)

Saturated fat is found in meat and dairy products, while monounsaturated fat is contained in nuts, avocados, and vegetable and olive oils. Polyunsaturated fat is found in walnuts, sunflower and flax seeds, fish, corn, soybean and safflower oils.

Current global guidelines recommend that 50 to 65 per cent of daily calories come from carbohydrates, and less than 10 per cent from saturated fats. But Dehghan said that advice is mostly based on evidence from studies in North America and Europe.

Cardiovascular disease is a global epidemic, with 80 per cent of the burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries. Diet is a key modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, experts say.

Dehghan said the healthiest diet would be made up of 50 to 55 per cent carbohydrates and 35 per cent total fat, including both saturated and unsaturated types.

91裸聊视频淲e found no evidence that below 10 per cent of energy from saturated fat is beneficial 91裸聊视频� and going below seven per cent is even harmful,91裸聊视频� she said, adding that a diet containing 10 to 13 per cent of energy from saturated fat was found to be beneficial.

A diet that provides more than 60 per cent of energy from carbohydrates 91裸聊视频� one common among populations in China and South Asia 91裸聊视频� was associated with a 28 per cent higher risk of premature death, researchers found.

91裸聊视频淭he message of our study is moderation as opposed to very low or very high intake in consumption of both fats and carbohydrates.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e not advocating an extreme diet,91裸聊视频� agreed co-author Andrew Mente. 91裸聊视频漌e91裸聊视频檙e not saying that people should go on a low-carb, very high-fat diet because we didn91裸聊视频檛 find any benefit with a very low-carb diet either.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a sweet spot for carbohydrates, which is about 55 per cent of energy intake.91裸聊视频�

The PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology) study was Tuesday in The Lancet.

In a linked commentary in the journal, Drs. Christopher Ramsden and Anthony Domenichiello of the U.S. National Institute on Aging called the research 91裸聊视频渁n impressive undertaking that will contribute to public health for years to come.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭he relationships between diet, cardiovascular disease and death are topics of major public health importance91裸聊视频�. Initial PURE findings challenge conventional diet-disease tenets that are largely based on observational associations in European and North American populations, adding to the uncertainty about what constitutes a healthy diet. This uncertainty is likely to prevail until well-designed randomized controlled trials are done.91裸聊视频�

Mente, also a nutrition epidemiologist at the Population Health and Research Institute, was lead author of a second analysis from the PURE study presented Tuesday at the cardiology meeting.

That paper 91裸聊视频� one of three from PURE published in The Lancet 91裸聊视频� found that eating three to four servings of fruit, vegetables and legumes per day reduces the risk of premature death.

91裸聊视频淎nd consuming higher amounts, pretty much you have the same level of risk,91裸聊视频� Mente said from Barcelona. 91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 no added benefit with consuming more than four servings.

91裸聊视频淭his is important because existing guidelines recommend that people consume at least five servings per day, which is less affordable in the poorer countries because fruits and vegetables 91裸聊视频� particularly fruits 91裸聊视频� are more expensive as a proportion of people91裸聊视频檚 incomes.91裸聊视频�

Lower-income Canadians may also be unable to afford the five to 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables recommended in the country91裸聊视频檚 Food Guide.

91裸聊视频淪o what our study shows is you can achieve maximum benefit through fruits and vegetables and legumes, and it91裸聊视频檚 also affordable at the same time.91裸聊视频�

Mente said the study also showed raw vegetables appear to confer greater health benefits than those that are cooked because of a loss of nutrients from being exposed to heat.

With the federal government in the process of revamping Canada91裸聊视频檚 Food Guide, the research could be a timely addition to consultations on what Canadians should be eating, Mente suggested.

91裸聊视频淲e would hope that independent thinkers perhaps reconsider the guidelines and look at our data, and perhaps rather than putting limits on total fat and saturated fat, perhaps we should be putting limits on the amount of carbohydrates that people consume.91裸聊视频�

Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press