Association of Saturated Fatty Acids Received from Different Food Sources with the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: a Prospective Study

There is still debate regarding the association between dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA) and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The objective of this study was to investigate the association of dietary SFAs, their food sources, and substitution with other macronutrients, with the risk of T2DM.

The current study was conducted on 2295 adults out of the participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) based on the inclusion criteria. The baseline intake of SFAs was estimated using a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of T2DM in tertile categories of SFAs and their different food sources. The risk of T2DM was estimated with multivariable Cox regression for the substitution of SFAs with other macro-nutrients.

Over a median of 8.5 years of follow-up, 10.6% of participants were identified as T2DM patients. The study found no significant associations between the baseline dietary intake of total SFA, lauric acid (LA), myristic acid (MA), palmitic acid (PA), or stearic acid (SA) and the risk of T2DM. However, a higher intake of liquid oils was related to a higher risk of T2DM (HR=1.07, 95% CI=1.00-1.15). Moreover, the substitution of MA for SA was related to an increased risk of T2DM (HR=1.56, 95% CI=1.03-1.93).

There was no significant association between dietary SFAs and the risk of T2DM in the present study. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify the association between dietary fats and T2DM risk.