Effect of moderate and regular consumption of Cinco Jotas acorn‐fed 100% Iberian ham on overall cardiovascular risk: A cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact that the moderate and regular consumption of Cinco Jotas acorn‐fed 100% Iberian ham has on overall cardiovascular risk, lipid parameters, blood pressure, and weight. METHODS: A longitudinal, analytical, and quasi‐experimental clinical study with repeated measures was carried out with 100 randomly selected individuals in primary care. The sample population included men and women (64%) between the ages of 25 and 55 (42.08, SD 9.6) who were not diagnosed with any cardiovascular illness or diabetes, were not undergoing antihypertensive treatment, nor taking lipid‐lowering drugs. There were four visits during a 2‐week washout period for the first of three phases. Phases 2 and 3 included an 8‐week habitual diet phase followed by an 8‐week intervention phase when participants consumed 40 g daily of acorn‐fed 100% Cinco Jotas Iberian ham. Measurements of cardiovascular risk factors were taken following the SCORE table. These included total cholesterol, high‐density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDL‐c), low‐density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL‐c), triglycerides (TG), and weight. RESULTS: The average vascular risk (SCORE) was 0.20 (SD 0.49) before the consumption phase and 0.18 (SD 0.48) at the end of the study (p > 0.05). An increase in HDL‐c of 5 mg/dl was observed while there was a decrease in LDL‐c and TG of 10 mg/dl (p < 0.05). There were no differences in total cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or weight; nor were differences observed in average consumption of calories, protein, lipids, carbohydrates, or alcohol (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The daily consumption of 40 g of Cinco Jotas acorn‐fed 100% Iberian ham does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and has a favorable impact on lipid levels without affecting blood pressure or weight.