Combined effect of unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids on the metabolic syndrome: tehran lipid and glucose study

AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate whether the background intakes of total dietary fat, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) modulate the effects of dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA) on metabolic syndrome (MetS). MATERIAL AND METHODS This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 4,677 adults, aged 19 to 84 years. MetS was defined according to the ATP III criteria. RESULTS Median intakes of SFA, MUFA and PUFA were 9.5, 9.6 and 5.6% of total energy. High SFA intakes were associated with higher prevalence of MetS, in both individuals with higher and lower median intakes of total fat, MUFA and PUFA. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that SFA intakes were positively associated with the prevalence of MetS, independent of total dietary fat, MUFA and PUFA intake.