Individual saturated fatty acid intake and risk of overweight/obesity: findings from a population-based nationwide cohort study.

Abstract

The relationship between saturated fatty acid (SFA) consumption and the risk of overweight/obesity remains unclear. Epidemiological evidence is lacking among Chinese population. This study aimed to investigate the association between individual dietary SFA intake and the risk of overweight/obesity in Chinese adults. Data from 8,465 adults with BMI <24 at entry in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS, 1989-2011) were analysed. Three-day 24-h dietary records were used to collect dietary data. Cox proportional hazard regression models were constructed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of developing overweight or obesity. A total of 3,171 incident cases of overweight/obesity were identified (1,649 for women and 1,522 for men) during a median of 11 years of follow-up. Compared with the lowest category, the intake of total SFAs (TSFAs) showed no significant association with the risk of overweight/obesity. However, an increased risk of overweight/obesity was observed with a higher intake of medium chain SFAs (MCSFAs) (P-trend = 0.004), especially decanoic acid (10:0) [HR (95% CI) was 1.25 (1.10-1.42) comparing the highest category with the reference group; P-trend<0.001), whereas an inverse relationship was observed for hexanoic acid (6:0) consumption; compared with non-consumers, 6:0 intake was associated with 32% lower risk of overweight/obesity [HR (95% CI): 0.68 (0.56-0.84); P-trend<0.001]. Overall, the intake of subtypes of MCSFAs but not TSFA was associated with the risk of overweight/obesity. Increasing hexanoic acid (6:0) and limiting decanoic acid (10:0) consumption may be protective for overweight/obesity among Chinese population.