Dietary intakes of monounsaturated fatty acids and risk of mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Keyhan Lotfi; Asma Salari-Moghaddam; Mahsa Yousefinia; Bagher Larijani; Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2021.101467

Dietary intakes of monounsaturated fatty acids and risk of mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Ageing Res Rev. 2021 Dec:72:101467. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2021.101467. Epub 2021 Sep 22.

Authors

Keyhan Lotfi¹, Asma Salari-Moghaddam¹, Mahsa Yousefinia¹, Bagher Larijani², Ahmad Esmaillzadeh³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular-Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: a-esmaillzadeh@tums.ac.ir.

PMID: 34560281
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2021.101467

Abstract

Background: Findings on the link between dietary intakes of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and risk of mortality are conflicting. This study aimed to summarize existing literature regarding the association between MUFA intake and risk of mortality from all causes, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and cancer.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science was systematically searched up to December 2020. Prospective cohort studies which investigated MUFA intake in relation to mortality from all causes, CVD, or cancer were eligible for this systematic review. Publications that had reported risk ratios (RRs) or hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as effect size, were considered.

Results: A total of 17 prospective cohort studies were included. These studies included 1022,321 participants aged ≥ 20 years in total, and 191,283 all-cause deaths, 55,437 CVD deaths, and 64,448 cancer deaths were totally reported. Combining 15 effect sizes from 11 studies, MUFA intake was inversely associated with risk of all-cause mortality (RR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.90, 0.98; I² =55.5; P = 0.005). Based on 17 effect sizes from 11 studies, we found no significant association between MUFA intake and risk of CVD mortality (RR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.89, 1.01; I² =37.0; P = 0.06). Combining 10 effect sizes from 6 studies, MUFA intake was not significantly associated with cancer mortality (RR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.03, I² =13.3%, P = 0.32). Also, an additional 5% of energy from MUFA was associated with a 3% reduced risk of all-cause mortality (RR: 0.97; 95%CI: 0.96, 0.98), but not with CVD (RR: 0.98; 95%CI: 0.95, 1.01) and cancer mortality (RR: 0.99; 95%CI: 0.97, 1.01).

Conclusions: MUFA intake was found to be inversely associated with risk of all-cause mortality. However, no link was found between MUFA consumption and mortality from CVD or cancer.

Keywords: Cohort studies; Fat; MUFA; Meta-analysis; Monounsaturated fatty acids; Mortality.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Cardiovascular Diseases*
Eating
Fatty Acids
Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated
Humans
Neoplasms*
Prospective Studies

Substances

Fatty Acids
Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated