Abstract Previous studies have indicated that a predominance of small, dense LDL particles is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. In the present study we examined the LDL peak particle diameter (determined by lipid-stained 2% to 16% gradient gel electrophoresis) in 92 normolipidemic men with CAD (total cholesterol <200 mg/dL and triglyceride <250 mg/dL) and 92 matched healthy controls. Plasma triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and apo B levels were similar in subjects with CAD and in control subjects, whereas subjects with CAD had decreased HDL 2 cholesterol levels (mean±SEM, 10±0.7 compared with 15±0.7 mg/dL in control subjects; P <.0002). Mean LDL particle diameter (±SEM) was increased in the subjects with CAD compared with control subjects (26.8±0.08 and 26.4±0.08 nm, respectively; P <.001). The association between large LDL size and CAD was significant ( P <.0001) after adjustments were made for age, body mass index, HDL cholesterol levels, and VLDL cholesterol levels. An LDL particle size distribution characterized by a predominance of the largest of three classes of LDL particles (>26.8 nm) was more prevalent among subjects with CAD (43%) than among control subjects (25%) ( P <.002). Among subjects with this LDL size profile, subjects with CAD had significantly higher ( P <.05) VLDL triglyceride, VLDL cholesterol, and VLDL apo B levels and significantly lower ( P <.0001) HDL 2 cholesterol levels than controls. Thus, in this normolipidemic population with CAD, a predominance of very large rather than small LDL particles was associated with increased VLDL and reduced HDL 2 cholesterol levels and with increased CAD risk, independent of other plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels.
Introduction: Chromosome 9p21 variants are among the most robust genetic markers for coronary heart disease (CHD). Our previous study showing that intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) interacts with genetic factors to affect risk of obesity, a major CHD risk factor, suggests that SSB could modify the effect of chromosome 9p21 variants on CHD. SSB are the main source of added sugar in the diet among Hispanics living in the United States and Latin America. Thus, this study is aimed to test whether SSB intake modifies the association between chromosome 9p21 variants and CHD risk in Hispanics. Methods: The study population included 1,603 incident cases of non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and 1,778 population-based controls living in Costa Rica. Three independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at chromosome 9p21 locus were genotyped. SSB intake was defined as the frequency of daily servings of commercially available and home-made sweetened beverages, and fruit juice assessed using a food-frequ...
This study assessed plasma lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents in a developing Latin American country and compared those risk factors to those of adolescents in the United States of America, where the risk of heart disease is high. In a cross-sectional study, data were collected from September 1998 to April 1999 on 161 Costa Rican adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20. A general questionnaire was used to collect demographic, smoking, socioeconomic, and women's health data. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and a fasting blood sample were taken. The Costa Rican males had lower levels of total cholesterol than did the Costa Rican females (mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM), 149 ± 6.5 mg/dL vs. 158 ± 6.3 mg/dL). This was mainly due to lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in males than in females (mean ± SEM, 38 ± 2.0 mg/dL vs. 44 ± 2.4 mg/dL). As compared to the United States, adolescents in this study had lower levels of total cholesterol, largely due to lower HDL cholesterol. Both genders of Costa Ricans had levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that were similar to those of counterpart groups in the United States. Costa Rican male and female adolescents had higher LDL/HDL ratios than did their United States counterparts. Therefore, as compared to the United States, Costa Rican adolescents have an adverse lipid profile as demonstrated by a higher LDL/HDL ratio. Overweight prevalence in Costa Rica was 13%, approaching the 15% overall level of the United States.
Coffee seems to have distinct acute and long-term effects on health, which can be modified by genetic background. Coffee consumption is potentially protective against the development of type 2 diabetes, but given the lack of a solid biological basis for this association, and the possible adverse cardiovascular effects of coffee, recommendations for optimal coffee intake are difficult to establish.
Previous studies suggest a positive association between markers of trans-fatty acid intake and prostate cancer. We therefore prospectively evaluated the association between blood trans-fatty acid levels and risk of prostate cancer.We conducted a nested case-control study among 14,916 apparently healthy men who provided blood samples in 1982. Blood fatty acid levels were determined for 476 men diagnosed with prostate cancer during a 13-year follow-up and their matched controls. Controls were individually matched to cases according to age and smoking status at baseline. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the relative risk and 95% confidence interval of total, nonaggressive (stage A/B and low grade), and aggressive (stage C/D, high grade, subsequent distant metastasis or death) prostate cancer associated with blood levels of specific trans-fatty acids.Blood levels of all the trans-fatty acids examined were unrelated to total prostate cancer risk. When results were divided according to tumor aggressiveness, blood levels of 18:1n-9t, all the 18:2t examined, and total trans-fatty acids were positively associated to nonaggressive tumors. The relative risks (95% confidence intervals; P trend) comparing top with bottom quintile trans-fatty acid levels were 2.16 (1.12-4.17; 0.11) for 18:1n-9t, 1.97 (1.03-3.75; 0.01) for total 18:2t, and 2.21 (1.14-4.29; 0.06) for total trans-fatty acids. None of the trans fats examined was associated with aggressive prostate tumors.Blood levels of trans isomers of oleic and linoleic acids are associated with an increased risk of nonaggressive prostate tumors. As this type of tumors represents a large proportion of prostate cancer detected using prostate-specific antigen screening, these findings may have implications for the prevention of prostate cancer.
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