Lancet 1993 Mar 6;341(8845):581-5

Intake of trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease among women.

Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Colditz GA, Speizer FE, Rosner BA, Sampson LA, Hennekens CH

Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Trans isomers of fatty acids, formed by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils to produce margarine and vegetable shortening, increase the ratio of plasma low-density-lipoprotein to high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, so it is possible that they adversely influence risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). To investigate this possibility, we studied dietary data from participants in the Nurses' Health Study. We calculated intake of trans fatty acids from dietary questionnaires completed by 85,095 women without diagnosed CHD, stroke, diabetes, or hypercholesterolaemia in 1980. During 8 years of follow-up, there were 431 cases of new CHD (non-fatal myocardial infarction or death from CHD). After adjustment for age and total energy intake, intake of trans isomers was directly related to risk of CHD (relative risk for highest vs lowest quintile 1.50 [95% Cl 1.12-2.00], p for trend = 0.001). Additional control for established CHD risk factors, multivitamin use, and intakes of saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and linoleic acid, dietary cholesterol, vitamins E or C, carotene, or fibre did not change the relative risk substantially. The association was stronger for the 69,181 women whose margarine consumption over the previous 10 years had been stable (1.67 [1.05-2.66], p for trend = 0.002). Intakes of foods that are major sources of trans isomers (margarine, cookies [biscuits], cake, and white bread) were each significantly associated with higher risks of CHD. These findings support the hypothesis that consumption of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils may contribute to occurrence of CHD.

Comments:

• Comment in: Lancet 1993 Apr 24;341(8852):1093
• Comment in: Lancet 1993 Apr 24;341(8852):1093-4
• Comment in: Lancet 1993 Apr 24;341(8852):1094

MeSH Terms:

• Age Factors
• Body Mass Index
• Cohort Studies
• Coronary Disease/etiology
• Coronary Disease/epidemiology*
• Coronary Disease/blood
• Diet Surveys
• Energy Intake
• Energy Metabolism
• Exercise
• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/chemistry
• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/analysis
• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/adverse effects*
• Female
• Human
• Hydrogenation
• Hypertension/complications
• Lipoproteins, HDL Cholesterol/blood
• Lipoproteins, LDL Cholesterol/blood
• Margarine/analysis
• Margarine/adverse effects*
• Nurses
• Proportional Hazards Models
• Risk Factors
• Smoking/adverse effects
• Stereoisomerism
• Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
• United States/epidemiology
• Vitamins/therapeutic use

Substances:

• Margarine
• Vitamins
• Lipoproteins, LDL Cholesterol
• Lipoproteins, HDL Cholesterol
• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated

Grant support:

• CA 40356/CA/NCI
• HL 34594/HL/NHLBI