Key result
Increasing dietary fat to 30% or 42% of daily calories in runners significantly increased HDL cholesterol compared to a 16% fat diet (62 vs 50 mg/dl, P<0.0001) without worsening other lipoproteins.
Why the study?
Does a high fat diet improve cardiovascular risk factors compared to a low fat diet in male and female runners?
Does a high fat diet improve cardiovascular risk factors compared to a low fat diet in male and female runners?
Absolute Event Rate: 62% vs 50%
p-value: p=<0.0001
In runners, a very low-fat diet (16%) may adversely affect lipid profiles by lowering HDL-C and Apo A1, whereas higher fat diets (up to 42%) maintain favorable cardiovascular risk factors.
Very low-fat diets may worsen HDL in runners; leaves open effects on outcomes or non-athletes.
Dietary fat may be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Studies suggest that restricting fat intake may compromise endurance performance and that increasing fat intake may improve endurance performance. We studied the effects of varying dietary fat intake on CHD risk factors in runners. Twelve male and 13 female runners increased fat from 16% to 30% of daily calories (4 wk each). Of this group, six males and six females increased fat to 42% of daily calories (4 wk). Physiological and lipoprotein risk factors were measured after each diet. Results were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA. Increasing dietary fat from 16% to 42% of daily calories did not change adiposity, weight, heart rate, blood pressure, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol. Apolipoprotein B, or the Apo A1/Apo B ratio. Compared with those eating higher fat, subjects eating 16% fat had lower HDL cholesterol (50 +/- 3 vs 62 +/- 3 mg.dl-1, P < 0.0001) and Apolipoprotein A1 (111 +/- 6 v. 134 +/- 6 mg/dl, P < 0.0005) and a higher TC/HDL-C ratio (4.05 +/- 0.27 vs 3.42 +/- 0.24, P < 0.0005). Runners who increased fat intake to 42% further raised HDL cholesterol (64 +/- 6 to 69 +/- 5 mg.dl-1, P < 0.04) without adversely affecting other lipoproteins. In conclusion, a 42% fat diet maintained favorable CHD risk factors in female and male runners whereas a 16% fat diet lowered Apo A1 and HDL-C and raised the TC/HDL-C ratio.
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Leddy et al. (1997) studied Runners (n=25). High fat diet vs. Low fat diet (16% of daily calories) was evaluated on HDL cholesterol (p=<0.0001). Increasing dietary fat to 30% or 42% of daily calories in runners significantly increased HDL cholesterol compared to a 16% fat diet (62 vs 50 mg/dl, P<0.0001) without worsening other lipoproteins.
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