Individual saturated fatty acids and nonfatal acute myocardial infarction in Costa Rica

Resumen

Increased saturated fat intake is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Hu et al, 1999, 2001), the leading cause of death in many Western and Latin American countries (Anon, 2002; Reddy & Yusuf, 1998). Although the effect of saturated fat on CVD risk has been mainly attributed to its ability to raise total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (Kris-Etherton & Yu, 1997), it could be due, in part, to low-fiber intake among consumers of high-fat diets (Ascherio et al, 1996). Studies in Nigeria suggest that the effects of saturated fat on serum cholesterol depend on the subject’s physical activity level, total fat and total energy intakes (Kesteloot et al, 1989; Glew et al, 2001)