Total and Subtypes of Dietary Fat Intake and Its Association with Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in a Mediterranean Population at High Cardiovascular Risk
The effect of dietary fat intake on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and in
turn on cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear in individuals at high CVD risk. Objective:
To assess the association between fat intake and MetS components in an adult Mediterranean
population at high CVD risk. Design: Baseline assessment of nutritional adequacy in participants
(n = 6560, men and women, 55–75 years old, with overweight/obesity and MetS) in the PREvención
con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED)-Plus randomized trial. Methods: Assessment of fat intake
(total fat, monounsatured fatty acids: MUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids: PUFA, saturated fatty acids:
SFA, trans-fatty acids: trans-FA, linoleic acid, a-linolenic acid, and w-3 FA) using a validated food
frequency questionnaire, and diet quality using 17-item Mediterranean dietary questionnaire and fat
quality index (FQI). Results: Participants in the highest quintile of total dietary fat intake showed
lower intake of energy, carbohydrates, protein and fiber, but higher intake of PUFA, MUFA, SFA, TFA,
LA, ALA and !-3 FA. Differences in MetS components were found according to fat intake. Odds (5th
vs. 1st quintile): hyperglycemia: 1.3–1.6 times higher for total fat, MUFA, SFA and w-3 FA intake; low
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c): 1.2 higher for LA; hypertriglyceridemia: 0.7 lower for
SFA and w-3 FA intake. Conclusions: Dietary fats played different role on MetS components of high
CVD risk patients. Dietary fat intake was associated with higher risk of hyperglycemia.The PREDIMED-Plus trial was supported by the official funding agency for biomedical research of the
Spanish government, ISCIII through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the
European Regional Development Fund (four coordinated FIS projects led by Jordi Salas-Salvadó and Josep Vidal,
including the following projects: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184,
PI13/00728, PI13/01090, PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919,
PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381,
PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827,
PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926), the Especial Action Project entitled:
Implementación y evaluación de una intervención intensive sobre la actividad física Cohorte PREDIMED-PLUS
grant to Jordi Salas-Salvadó, the European Research Council (Advanced Research Grant 2013-2018; 340918) grant to
Miguel Ángel Martínez-Gonzalez, the Recercaixa grant to Jordi Salas-Salvadó (2013ACUP00194), grants from the
Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0458/2013; PS0358/2016; PI0137/2018), the PROMETEO/2017/017
grant from the Generalitat Valenciana, the SEMERGEN grant, and CIBEROBN and FEDER funds (CB06/03),
ISCIII. International Nut & Dried Fruit Council – FESNAD No. 201302: Miguel Ángel Martínez-Gonzalez (PI).
Alicia Julibert, Maria del Mar Bibiloni, Cristina Bouzas, Lucía Ugarriza and Josep A. Tur are granted by Grant
of support to research groups no. 35/2011 (Balearic Islands Gov.; FEDER funds), EU-COST ACTION CA16112,
and Fundació La Marató TV3 (Spain) project ref. 201630.10
