Gallstones zapped y good fats

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

It seems there are benefits to good fats to avoid our getting

gallstones, a painful condition.

The pdfs of the article mentioned in the above and its review are

available.

See:

Dietary Fat and Risk for Gallstone Disease in Men

Ann Intern Med 2004;141 I-43

The Effect of Long-Term Intake of cis Unsaturated

Fats on the Risk for Gallstone Disease in Men:

A Prospective Cohort Study

Chung-Jyi Tsai, F. Leitzmann, Walter

C. Willett, and L. Giovannucci

Ann Intern Med 2004;141 514-522

Background: Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats act as

inhibitors of cholesterol cholelithiasis in animal experiments.

Objective: To examine the association between long-term intake of cis

unsaturated fats and the incidence of gallstone disease in humans.

Design: Prospective population-based cohort study.

Setting: The Health Professional Follow-up Study.

Participants: 45 756 men, age 40 to 75 years in 1986, who were free

of gallstone disease.

Measurements: Consumption of cis unsaturated fats was assessed

starting in 1986 as part of the 131-item semi-quantitative food-

frequency questionnaires. Questionnaires were mailed to participants

every 2 years. The main outcome measure was self-reported newly

diagnosed symptomatic gallstone disease.

Results: During 14 years of follow-up, 2323 new cases of gallstone

disease were documented. After adjustment for age and other potential

risk factors, the relative risk for gallstone disease among men in

the highest quintile of dietary intake of cis unsaturated fats

compared with men in the lowest quintile was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.69 to

0.96; P for trend = 0.006). The relative risk among men in the

highest quintile of polyunsaturated fat consumption compared with men

in the lowest quintile was 0.84 (CI, 0.73 to 0.96; P for trend =

0.01), and the relative risk among men in the highest quintile of

monounsaturated fat consumption compared with men in the lowest

quintile was 0.83 (CI, 0.70 to 1.00; P for trend = 0.01).

Limitations: Outcomes were restricted to men with cholecystectomy or

diagnostically confirmed but unremoved symptomatic gallstones.

Conclusions: A high intake of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated

fats in the context of an energy-balanced diet is associated with a

reduced risk for gallstone disease in men.

Editors' Notes

Context

Some people believe that high dietary intakes of cis unsaturated fat

decrease cholesterol gallstone disease.

Contribution

This prospective, population-based study involving 45 756 middle-aged

and older men found that during 14 years of follow-up, high compared

with low intakes of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty

acids were associated with fewer self-reported cases of symptomatic

gallstone disease.

Cautions

The study compared high and low intakes of fatty acids; it did not

determine optimal amounts of unsaturated fat intake.

Implications

Long-term intake of high amounts of total dietary cis unsaturated fat

seems to be associated with decreased risk for gallstone disease in

men.

–The Editors

Cheers, Alan Pater