Associations of Monounsaturated Fatty Acids From Plant and Animal Sources With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Two US Prospective Cohort Studies

RATIONALE:Dietary monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) can come from both plant and animal sources with divergent nutrient profiles that may potentially obscure the associations of total MUFAs with chronic diseases. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the associations of cis-MUFA intake from plant (MUFA-P) and animal (MUFA-A) sources with total and cause-specific mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS:We followed 63 412 women from the NHS (Nurses’ Health Study; 1990–2012) and 29 966 men from the HPFS (Health Professionals Follow-Up Study; 1990–2012). MUFA-Ps and MUFA-As were calculated based on data collected through validated food frequency questionnaires administered every 4 years and updated food composition databases. During 1 896 864 person-years of follow-up, 20 672 deaths occurred. Total MUFAs and MUFA-Ps were inversely associated with total mortality after adjusting for potential confounders, whereas MUFA-As were associated with higher mortality. When MUFA-Ps were modeled to isocalorically replace other macronutrients, hazard ratios (HRs, 95% CIs) of total mortality were 0.84 (0.77–0.92; P