The Study
Dietary Fats and Cardio-Metabolic Outcomes in a Cohort of Italian Adults
This study found that people who ate more of certain fats didn't get high blood pressure or diabetes as often — but that doesn't mean the fats caused it. Maybe people who eat more fat also exercise more or eat healthier overall, and that's what really helped.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at what fats people in southern Italy ate and how it affected their health. Some fats, like those in dairy and olive oil, helped lower disease risk. But one rare fat made health problems more likely.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 555 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — these results suggest that the type of fat matters more than total fat, and some common dietary fats may actually protect against common diseases.
- 2People who ate more short-chain fats (like in milk) had 57-75% less diabetes and bad cholesterol.
- 3Those who ate more olive oil fat (C18:1) had 48-79% less diabetes and 48% less high blood pressure.
- 4EPA (from fish) cut high blood pressure risk by 70%.
- 5But one fat (C20:1) made disease risk 2-3 times higher.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2022
Authors
W. Currenti, J. Godos, Amer Alanazi, Giuseppe Grosso, R. Cincione, S. La Vignera, S. Buscemi, F. Galvano
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who consume more of a rare fat called C20:1 — found in some processed oils — are more than twice as likely to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, possibly because this fat harms blood vessels or metabolism.
People who eat more of the short and medium fats found in dairy and coconut oil are much less likely to have high cholesterol or diabetes, possibly because these fats help the body manage blood sugar and fats better.
People who eat more olive oil and nuts — which are rich in oleic acid — are much less likely to develop diabetes or high blood pressure, possibly because this fat helps the body use insulin better and keeps blood vessels healthy.
Over the course of human evolution, the body developed metabolic processes optimized for using saturated and monounsaturated fats from animal sources as the main type of dietary fat.
People who eat more fish oil or fatty fish — which contain EPA — are much less likely to have high blood pressure, possibly because EPA helps relax blood vessels and reduce inflammation.
Eating more total saturated fat — like butter or cheese — doesn’t seem to raise the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol in this group of Italians, which goes against what many health guidelines say.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.