Positive Health Online

Abstract

KROMHOUT and colleagues, Division of Public Health Research, National Institute of Public Health and Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands described a study of saturated fat, vitamin C and smoking and long-term population all-cause mortality rates.

Background

Methodology

The authors of this study addressed the associations between diet, smoking and 25-year all-cause mortality. Baseline surveys were carried out between 1958 and 1964 on 12, 763 middle-aged men constituting 16 cohorts in seven countries. In 1987/88 equivalent food composites representing the average food intake of each cohort at baseline were collected and chemically analysed on one central laboratory. During 25 years of follow-up 5973 men died and age adjusted population mortality rates were calculated for each cohort.

Results

Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that the population intake of saturated fat and the prevalence of smoking were positively associated with population all-cause mortality rates. Population vitamin C intake was inversely associated with all-cause mortality. It was calculated that a reduction in saturated fat intake of 5% of energy, a 20mg/d increase in vitamin C and a 10% decrease in the prevalence of smokers may decrease the 25 year all-cause population mortality rate by 12.4% (95% CI: 5.6, 19.4%) at an average population all-cause mortality rate of 45%.

Conclusion

The authors concluded that at a population level saturated fat, vitamin C and cigarettes smoking are important determinants of all-cause mortality.

References

Kromhout D et al. Saturated fat, vitamin C and smoking predict long-term population all-cause mortality rates in Seven Countries Study. International Journal of Epidemiology 29(2): 260-5. Apr 2000.

Comment

Simply stated, this research predicts that a 5% reduction in the consumption of saturated fat, an increase in consumption of vitamin C by merely 20 mg per day and a 10% decrease in smoking could reduce the rate of death by 12.4%. Staggering!