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Higher vegetable fat intake is associated with lower total and cardiovascular mortality rates
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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In a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers identified a link between animal and plant fat intake and rates of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other causes.
Dietary fats play an important role in maintaining cell membranes, providing energy, absorbing and transporting fat-soluble vitamins, modulating ion channel activity, and regulating signaling. Plant-based fats contain more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, while animal fats contain more saturated fats. In recent years, there has been increased scientific interest in studying the impact of fat consumption on health, which depends on the sources of these fats.
However, there is limited evidence to determine the relationship between fat intake from different sources and human health. Although previous experimental and international studies suggest that reducing fat intake is beneficial, recent cohort studies, meta-analyses, and clinical trials have yielded conflicting results.
In this prospective cohort study, researchers investigated whether consumption of fats from animal or plant sources could increase total and CVD mortality in the United States.
The researchers obtained data from NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study participants from 1995 to 2019 and analyzed it from February 2021 to May 2024. Questionnaires were used to collect data on demographics, anthropometry, lifestyle, and diet, including fat sources.
The researchers used the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Dietary Questionnaire to collect dietary data. They determined the participants’ causes of death through subsequent linkages to the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File. Participants were followed until December 31, 2019, or until death, whichever came first.
The researchers used Cox proportional hazards regressions with multiple adjustment to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and absolute hazard differences (ARDs) over 24 years. Study covariates included age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, race, physical activity, smoking status, education level, marital status, health status, diabetes, vitamin supplements, and baseline protein, carbohydrate, trans fat, cholesterol, fiber, and alcohol intake.
Among 407,531 participants, 231,881 (57%) were men, with a mean age of 61 years. The mean daily fat intakes from animal and plant sources were 29 and 25 grams, respectively. Higher intakes of plant fats, particularly from cereals and vegetable oils, were associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and CVD mortality. In contrast, higher intakes of animal fats, particularly from dairy products and eggs, were associated with an increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality.
The results of the study showed that increasing the intake of plant fats, especially from vegetable oils and cereals, reduced the risk of all-cause mortality and CVD. In contrast, increasing the intake of animal fats, especially from eggs and dairy products, was associated with an increased risk of mortality. These findings may help to develop dietary recommendations to improve human health.