[Is nutritional intervention influencing lipid allowances beneficial?]

An earlier study (consumption study) has shown that in subjects eating normally: 1) the amount of fat consumed per day corresponds to 4/5 of the fat contained in the portions served; 2) the distribution of the fatty acids (FA) consumed is unfavorable because of the use of saturated FA for food preparation and cooking and because of the elimination of mono- and polyunsaturated FA in the unconsumed food. In order to determine whether a simple nutritional intervention might favorably modify the distribution of FA consumed, a computer simulation of a decrease in allowances of saturated FA in exchange for an increase in mono- and polyunsaturated FA was tested. The laboratory results were compared to those of the computer program. Comparison of the intervention study with the consumption study revealed that: 1) the fat content was identical; 2) there were the same number of total calories, but there were more lipidic calories consumed during the intervention (38% instead of 35%); 3) the distribution of FA more nearly approached the recommended amounts: 40% saturated FA (-25%), 39% monounsaturated FA (+8%), 21% polyunsaturated FA (+91%) and a P/S ratio of .60 (instead of .21); 4) these proportions can be explained by a decrease in palmitic (-30%) and stearic (-20%) acids and by an increase in linoleic (+100%) and linolenic (+40%) acids; 5) the allowances of elaidic acid was on the average 4.3 g per day and had little influence on the P/S ratio; 6) the omega 6/omega 3 ratio (ratio of 7) was higher than that of the consumption study (ratio of 5); 7) there was a 16% decrease in cholesterol intake (260 mg instead of 310 mg). The laboratory findings corresponded on the whole to those of the computer program that only faulted by overestimating lipid and cholesterol allowances.