The study by researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Wellness Institute - Cleveland Clinic, Brigham and Women`s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, sought to investigate associations of saturated fats compared with unsaturated fats and different sources of carbohydrates in relation to CHD risk.
"We followed 84,628 women (Nurses` Health Study, 1980 to 2010), and 42,908 men (Health Professional Follow-up Study, 1986 to 2010) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline," researchers said.
"Diet was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire every 4 years," they wrote in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
During 24 to 30 years of follow-up, researchers documented 7,667 incident cases of CHD.
Higher intakes of PUFAs and carbohydrates from whole grains were significantly associated with a lower risk of CHD comparing the highest with lowest quintile for PUFAs, researchers said.
Replacing 5 per cent of energy intake from saturated fats with equivalent energy intake from PUFAs, monounsaturated fatty acids, or carbohydrates from whole grains was associated with a 25 per cent, 15 per cent, and 9 per cent lower risk of CHD, respectively, they said.
Replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates from refined starches/added sugars was not significantly associated with CHD risk.
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