A study of more than 400,000 people tracked for up to 24 years finds that those who got their dietary fat from plants versus animals had significantly lower odds of dying during the study period. Plant-based fats' benefits included reduced odds of death due to , the research showed. Conversely, the study "provides evidence that diets high in animal-based fats, including dairy and eggs, are associated with elevated risks of overall and cardiovascular disease mortality," concluded a team led by Dr.
Demetrius Albanes, of the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
As the researchers noted, the composition of fats found in plant sources—grains, vegetables, beans or nuts—differs greatly from that sourced from animals. "Plant-based fats are recognized for their greater composition of monounsaturated fatty acids [MUFAs] and polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFAs], whereas animal-based fats are characterized by a higher proportion of saturated fatty acids [SFAs]," the team explained. Bodies need fat to live, but say that cutting down on saturated fats and replacing them with is a healthy move.
How much would that help folks over the long term? To find out, Albanes' team looked at dietary and health data collected from 1995 through 2019 as part of the National Institutes of Health AARP Diet and Health Study. The analysis included data on 407,531 adults who averaged about 61 years of age when they entered the study. People were divided in five "quintiles"—from a top 20% who took in the most .