Contrary to popular belief, consuming a higher amount of fat — about 35 percent of energy — is associated with lower risk of death. On the flip side, a diet high in carbohydrates — more than 60 percent of energy — is related to higher mortality.

Overall, researchers found that high-fat diets reduced early death by 23 percent and lowered the risk of a stroke by 18 percent when compared to high-carbohydrate diets. Researchers also found that there was not a difference in the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Big population base

These finding were based on the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study that includes 135,000 people from 18 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. People in the study were followed for seven-and-a-half years and lived throughout five continents. The research was led by teams at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, both located in Canada. That research team shown in the photo included: Andrew Mente, Mahshid Dehghan, and Victoria Miller.

The research also found that eating fruits, vegetables, and legumes also could lower your risk of dying prematurely. But three to four servings a day seemed to maximize this benefit.

Going back to the fat portion of the study, this research once again highlights the consumer shift toward higher fat foods, including higher milkfat dairy products such as whole milk, cheese, and butter. This was discussed in, “Science is rallying behind dairy fats.”

To learn more about the latest research, visit this website.

The research group also has a web page at: https://fhs.mcmaster.ca/media/diet/