Intake of Fatty Acids and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in a Cohort of Finnish Men: The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study

TLDR

The study examined the relationship between specific fatty acid intakes and coronary heart disease risk in 21,930 smoking men aged 50–69 who had no diagnosed cardiovascular disease at baseline. Participants were part of the Finnish Alpha‑Tocopherol, Beta‑Carotene Cancer Prevention Study and completed a detailed, validated dietary questionnaire at baseline. After 6.1 years, higher trans‑fatty acid intake was linked to a 39 % greater risk of coronary death (RR 1.39), fish‑derived omega‑3 intake also increased risk (RR 1.30), whereas saturated, monounsaturated, linoleic, linolenic acids and cholesterol showed no association, and the effects were weaker for all major coronary events. Am J Epidemiol 1997; 145: 876–87.

Abstract

The relation of intakes of specific fatty acids and the risk of coronary heart disease was examined in a cohort of 21,930 smoking men aged 50–69 years who were initially free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease. All men participated in the Finnish Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study and completed a detailed and validated dietary questionnaire at baseline. After 6.1 years of follow-up from 1985–1988, the authors documented 1,399 major coronary events and 635 coronary deaths. After controlling for age, supplement group, several coronary risk factors, total energy, and fiber intake, the authors observed a significant positive association between the intake of trans-fatty acids and the risk of coronary death. For men in the top quintile of trans-fatty acid intake (median = 6.2 g/day), the multivariate relative risk of coronary death was 1.39 (95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.09–1.78) (p for trend = 0.004) as compared with men in the lowest quintile of intake (median = 1.3 g/day). The intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish was also directly related to the risk of coronary death in the multivariate model adjusting also for frans-saturated and c/s-monounsat-urated fatty acids (relative risk (RR) = 1.30, 95% Cl 1.01–1.67) (p for trend = 0.06 for men in the highest quintile of intake compared with the lowest). There was no association between intakes of saturated or c/s-monounsaturated fatty acids, linoleic or linolenic acid, or dietary cholesterol and the risk of coronary deaths. All the associations were similar but somewhat weaker for all major coronary events. Am J Epidemiol 1997; 145: 876–87.