The Journal of nutrition
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The Journal of nutrition · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialDevelopment of a food-exchange model to replace saturated fat with MUFAs and n-6 PUFAs in adults at moderate cardiovascular risk.
The recommendation to reduce saturated fatty acid (SFA) consumption to ≤10% of total energy (%TE) is a key public health target aimed at lowering cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Replacement of SFA with unsaturated fats may provide greater benefit than replacement with carbohydrates, yet the optimal type of fat is unclear. The aim of the DIVAS (Dietary Intervention and Vascular Function) study was to develop a flexible food-exchange model to investigate the effects of substituting SFAs with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) or n-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on CVD risk factors. ⋯ Plasma phospholipid FA composition showed changes from baseline in the proportions of total SFAs, MUFAs, and n-6 PUFAs for each diet group, with the changes in SFAs and MUFAs differing between the groups (P < 0.001). In conclusion, successful implementation of the food-exchange model broadly achieved the dietary target intakes for the exchange of SFAs with MUFAs or n-6 PUFAs with minimal disruption to the overall diet in a free-living population. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01478958.