Consumption of dietary animal fat and cardiovascular disease.

Animal fat and total cardiovascular disease (CVD).

One article was found examining the relation between animal fat consumption and total cardiovascular disease (Tanasescu M [13]). The cohort included women with type 2 diabetes, only. No association was found (RR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.70-1.43; P = 0.63).


Animal fat and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Results: Data was provided by 6 cohorts, including 2,374 + X cases (no amount of cases was available for one cohort: Tanaka H [9]).
A significantly increased risk was found in one cohort of small size (Mann JI [21]). And the author from a cohort of very small size stated that risk appeared to increase nonsignificantly, but no 95% CI, or P-value was defined (Tanaka H [9]). No other associations were found. RR's were available from 4 cohorts. The average RR = 1.02 (excluding incomplete data from Tanaka H [9]).
Effect modification: No data was found.
Subjects with prevalent disease: No significant association was found among subjects with ischemic heart disease in one cohort (Fehily AM [14]).

Conclusion: A significantly increased risk was found in one cohort of small size. No other associations were found. No evidence was found for an association between animal fat consumption and coronary heart disease.

Prospective studies of animal fat and coronary heart disease:
AuthorCohort nameCasesEnd pointRelative Risk (RR)
21) Mann JI (1997)The Oxford Vegetarian Study45MortalityDRR = 329 (150-721; P = < 0.01).
14) Fehily AM (1993)The Caerphilly Study137RiskRO = 0.9
13) Halton TL (2006)The Nurses' Health Study1,994RiskRR = 0.98 (0.75-1.28; P = 0.66).
9) Tanaka H (1987)The Shibata StudyNot definedRiskRR = 2.09
8) Kushi LH (1985)The Ireland-Boston Diet-Heart Study110MortalityNo significant association (P = 0.13).
1) Oglesby P (1963)The Western Electric Study88RiskNo significant association.
Total number of cases: 2,374Average RR = 1.02

Animal fat and stroke.

Results: Data was provided by 2 cohorts, including 640 cases.
A significant protective effect against ischemic stroke was found in one cohort of very small size (Sauvaget C [30]). No association was found in the other cohort. The average RR = 1.02.
Effect modification: No data was found.
Subjects with prevalent disease: No data was found.

Conclusion: A significant protective effect was found in one cohort of very small size. No evidence was found for an association between animal fat consumption and stroke.

Prospective studies of animal fat and stroke:
AuthorCohort nameCasesEnd pointRelative Risk (RR)
30) Sauvaget C (2004)The Adult Health Study60Ischemic stroke mortalityRH = 0.39 (0.17-0.88; P = 0.01).
13) He K (2003)The Health Professionals Follow Up Study455 ischemic stroke, and

125 hemorrhagic stroke
RiskIschemic stroke: RR = 1.15 (0.80-1.65; P = 0.61).

Haemorrhagic stroke: RR = 0.86 (0.42-1.77; P = 0.99).
Total number of cases: 640Average RR = 1.02