Abstract
BACKGROUND: The quality of fat in food affects the cardiovascular system by means of inflammatory and lipid pathways. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship among middle-aged persons' cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk indicators and the composition of their dietary fat. METHODOLOGY: Two hundred adults (aged 40-65) from the Henan Provincial Chest Hospital's databases were incorporated in this retrospective, hospital-based observational investigation. Dietary consumption information was taken from food frequency questionnaires that had been filled out and were kept in medical records. Employing the unsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid proportion (UFA:SFA), dietary fat composition was measured and subjects were separated into tertiles. Anthropometric variables, lipid levels (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C), and inflammation levels (hs-CRP) were obtained from pre-existing laboratory and hospital records. RESULTS: In comparison to the lowest tertile, the highest UFA:SFA tertile had greater HDL-C (+8.29 mg/dL, d = 1.54), decreased TC (-30.33 mg/dL, d = 2.86), LDL-C (-24.73 mg/dL, d = 2.67), and hs-CRP (-1.28 mg/L, d = 2.53; all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Better lipid and inflammatory levels were associated with higher dietary fat quality, highlighting the significance of substituting unsaturated fats for saturated fats as a CVD prevention measure. However, prospective or interventional research are required to investigate causal effects, as these results are observational and demonstrate association rather than causality.