Dietary meat fats and burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors in the elderly: a report from the MEDIS Study.

High intake of diets rich in meat fats may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in elderly people.

This research work examined the association between dietary fats and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia, in elderly people. Researchers reviewed dietary and clinical data obtained from 1486 CVD-free subjects between the ages of 65-100, all recruited from the MEDIS Study.

Researchers observed the presence of 3 or 4 CVD risk factors in most subjects who consumed large amounts of olive oil frequently. A 5% increased in dietary meat fat intake elevated the risk of developing an additional CVD risk factor by 21%. According to this study, other types of fats in the diets of these elderly subjects had no significant effect on CVD risk factors. The findings of this review support the hypothesis that high consumption of fats from meat products is associated with elevated cardiovascular disease development and mortality risk.