Dietary correlates of fat intake.

Dietary fat intake has been associated with the development of chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer, in human populations; however, associations demonstrated between disease and fat intake may be confounded by related dietary factors. Therefore, description of the correlates of fat intake in free-living adults may help identify important confounders independent of disease status. In a population of 863 women and 538 men between the ages of 50 and 85 randomly selected from two counties in western New York, we found that most nutrients were correlated with grams of total fat intake including protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol, dietary fiber, retinol, iron, and calcium. Carbohydrates and dietary fiber were not related to the concentration of fat in the diet (% of energy from fat). Alcohol intake was negatively associated with fat concentration for men but not for women. Particularly important for the study of cancers, the antioxidants carotene and ascorbic acid were negatively associated with fat concentration in the diet.