Analyzing the Role of Dietary Fats, Supplements, and Meal Replacements in Diet

Sunday, September 27 at 12:25pm

LAS VEGAS—Later today, Barbara Robinson, MPH, RD, CNSC, of Johnson & Wales University, hopes to shed some light on the part dietary contributors play in determining cardiovascular disease risk.
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In “Utilizing Dietary Fats, Supplements, and Meal Replacements,” Robinson plans to discuss the animal and plant sources of fats, examine recommendations for total fat and types of fats, describe the role of refined carbohydrates in chronic disease, analyze the pros and cons of nutritional supplements, address meal replacements and their role in diet, and identify the contribution of vitamins and minerals from food.

“Over the last couple of years, the science on dietary contributors to cardiovascular disease has become clearer to those in the know,” says Robinson, an associate professor in the culinary nutrition program at Johnson & Wales.

“For the general public, however, the picture may still be cloudy,” she says. “In a reversal of sorts, researchers are finding that dietary fat is not as harmful as previously believed. And yet, some fats truly are healthier than other fats. On the other hand, certain carbohydrates may be a factor in inflammation, which occurs in cardiovascular disease.”

In today’s session, Robinson points to a recent analysis of 72 studies in subjects from 18 countries as an example of the link, or lack thereof, between saturated and trans fats and cardiovascular disease, for instance.

In that study, published in the March 2014 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that man-made trans fats do not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and determined there is not sufficient evidence to find an association between saturated fats and cardiovascular disease.

However, “it may also be true that not all saturated fats are alike,” says Robinson.

“For example, the saturated fat in milk might be more benign than the saturated fat in meat raised with traditional cattle feed,” she says, adding that subsequent studies have reinforced the major conclusions of this research.

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Chowdhury R, et al. Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids With Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015.