Association of dietary fat intake with the risk of hip fractures in an elderly Chinese population: A matched case-control study

AimThe aim of the present study was to examine the association between dietary fat intake and the risk of hip fractures in an elderly Chinese population. MethodsA case-control study of 646 patients with newly diagnosed hip fractures and 646 controls, matched by age (3years) and sex, was carried out among elderly Chinese (55-80years) in Guangdong, China. Their dietary fat intake was measured and calculated using a 79-item food-frequency questionnaire. ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders, a dose-dependent increased risk of hip fractures was found to be associated with higher intakes of total fat, animal fat, saturated fatty acids and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (P for trend<0.005). The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for hip fractures from a comparison of extreme quartiles were 1.92 (1.26-2.92) for total fat, 2.60 (1.70-3.99) for animal fat, 1.95 (1.30-2.93) for saturated fatty acids and 2.22 (1.46-3.39) for animal mono-unsaturated fatty acids, respectively. No significant association was observed for plant fat or polyunsaturated fatty acids (P for trend=0.063 for plant fat and 0.174 for polyunsaturated fatty acids). ConclusionsOur findings suggest that higher consumption of total fat and animal fat rich in saturated fatty acids might increase the risk of hip fractures in elderly Chinese. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 1171-1178.