(P26-48-26) Association of Dietary Saturated Fat and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: An Analysis of NHANES 2011–2018

Objectives: To determine if saturated fat (SFA) intake is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in US adults.

Methods: Data from NHANES 2011-2018 for adults age 19-59 years (n =13,563) and older adults age 60+ years (n = 6,563) were used to assess total SFA intake from total diet, from dairy foods and from other food sources. NHANES standard protocols were used to measure cardiometabolic markers and to calculate risk factors. Analyses were adjusted for the complex sample design of NHANES including sample weights. Associations between quartiles of SFA intake and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed by regression analysis after adjusting data for age, gender, ethnicity, poverty income ratio, physical activity level, body mass index, and intakes of sodium, potassium, carbohydrates, total sugars and dietary fiber. Significant associations were assessed at P<sub>quartile trend < 0.01 and 99% CI.

Results: The mean total SFA intake among adults and older adults were 28.4 ± 0.2 and 24.8 ± 0.3 g/d from total diet, 3.8 ± 0.1 and 3.3 ± 0.1 g/d from total dairy, and 24.6 ± 0.2 and 21.5 ± 0.2 g/d from other food sources, respectively.

The mean values of cardiometabolic markers were 72 ± 0.3 and 69 ± 0.3 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure; 119 ± 0.3 and 132 ± 0.4 mm Hg systolic blood pressure; 192 ± 0.8 and 192 ± 0.9 mg/dL total cholesterol; 114 ± 0.7 and 110 ± 1.0 mg/dL LDL-cholesterol; 53 ± 0.3 and 56 ± 0.6 mg/dL HDL cholesterol; and 118 ± 1.9 and 120 ± 2.4 mg/dL triglycerides among adults and older adults, respectively.

There were no associations between quartiles of total SFA intake and any cardiometabolic marker among adults or older adults, except for a positive association between SFA from other food sources and HDL cholesterol (β = 0.55 ± 0.18, P = 0.0033) among adults. In adults, SFA intake was also associated with lower odds of reduced HDL cholesterol (from total diet SFA β = 0.91, 99% CI 0.84 - 0.99); from other food sources β = 0.87, 99% CI 0.80 - 0.95), lower odds of elevated triglycerides (from other food sources SFA β = 0.85, 99% CI 0.74 - 0.97) and there were no other significant associations.

Conclusions: The results indicate in adults that SFA intake is generally not associated with any cardiometabolic markers of risk factors except for a limited number of beneficial associations with HDL cholesterol or triglycerides.

Funding Sources: National Dairy Council