Author information
1
Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University and Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata of Verona, Verona, Italy.
2
Nutrition and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK.
3
Southampton National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, UK.
Abstract
The 2016 European Society of Cardiology guidelines recommended a total fat intake of ≤30% of which ≤10% should consist of saturated fats to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (1). These guidelines also suggested decreasing saturated fat intake by substitution with polyunsaturated fatty acids (1). In June 2017, the American Heart Association's presidential advisory on dietary fats stated that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated vegetable oil reduces the incidence of CVD by ~30% (2). Importantly, this shift from saturated to unsaturated fats occurs when a Westernised diet containing processed foods is replaced by the Mediterranean diet (MD) (2). Traditionally, the MD contains an abundance of plant foods, including legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and fish (3). Several observational cohort studies and some randomized clinical trials (RCT) have suggested that MD reduces the incidence of CVD (3).