| Summary: | Background: Both the quantity and the quality of fat are major determinants of chronic diseases risk. This paper looks at the fatty-acid composition of Indian foods reported in the diets of urban Asian Indians and its association with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: Adults aged 20–80 years (n = 1688) were selected from the Chennai Urban Epidemiological Study. The dietary intake of the study subjects was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The fatty-acid profile of common foods reported by the population was measured from pooled food samples and substituted in nutrient database for calculation of daily foods, nutrient, and fatty-acid intake. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Results: Of the foods tested potato chips and Indian sweet mysorepak had the highest amount of fat 46.7g and 42.2g/100g, respectively, whereas the Indian sweet sweet pongal had the lowest fat of 3.9g/100g. Palmitic acid in saturated fatty acid (SFA), oleic acid in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), and linoleic among poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were commonly reported fatty acids in most foods. Dietary fats provided almost 1/4th of the daily caloric intake of the subjects. Compared to national recommendations, the intake of MUFA and α linolenic acid was very low. Higher intake (>median) of calories (%E) from SFA (P = 0.007) and PUFA (P = 0.008) were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas MUFA (P = 0.017) showed an inverse association. Conclusion: Improvement of the dietary fat profile in our population can be achieved by formulating and propagating guidelines on the selection and appropriate use of cooking oils, and increased consumption of nuts and oilseeds.
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