THE DIET AND ALL-CAUSES DEATH RATE IN THE 7 COUNTRIES STUDY

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 2  (8237) , 58-61
Abstract
Among 12,763 men aged 0-59 yr, 1512 died in 10 yr, 413 from coronary heart disease. The 16 cohorts [from Greece, Finland, The Netherlands, Yugoslavia, USA, Italy and Japan] differed in all-causes and in coronary death rate. Those differences were not related to cohort differences in age, relative weight, activity, smoking habits or percentage calories from total proteins or fats in the diet but were related to differences in blood pressure, serum cholesterol and percentage calories from saturated fatty acids. The correlation with saturates was r = 0.47 for all causes, r = 0.84 for coronary death rate. The all-causes death rate was correlated with saturates even when other dietary variables were controlled in multiple regression. Inclusion of percentage calories from saturates, mono-enes and polyunsaturates in multiple regression gave multiple r = 0.71 for all-causes deaths but no better discrimination for coronary deaths. Non-coronary death rate was not significantly related to the diet. Both mean blood pressure and serum cholesterol were correlated with diet saturates but the correlation of blood pressure with saturates is explained by inter-correlation between blood pressure and cholesterol. The findings do not prove that saturates in the diet cause increased mortality but are consistent with the hypothesis that risk of early death is increased by diet saturates in populations in which coronary disease is a major death cause. There is no support for the suggestion that the advantage for coronary disease of a diet restricted in saturated fats may be offset by increased non-coronary mortality.