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. 2013 May;97(5):1121-8.
doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.049064. Epub 2013 Apr 3.

Intake of trans fat and all-cause mortality in the Reasons for Geographical and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort

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Intake of trans fat and all-cause mortality in the Reasons for Geographical and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort

James N Kiage et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 May.

Abstract

Background: A high intake of trans fatty acids decreases HDL cholesterol and is associated with increased LDL cholesterol, inflammation, diabetes, cancer, and mortality from cardiovascular disease. The relation between trans fat intake and all-cause mortality has not been established.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relation between trans fat intake and all-cause mortality.

Design: We used data from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study-a prospective cohort study of white and black men and women residing in the continental United States. Energy-adjusted trans fat intake was categorized into quintiles, and Cox-regression was used to evaluate the association between trans fat intake and all-cause mortality.

Results: During 7 y of follow-up, there were 1572 deaths in 18,513 participants included in REGARDS. From the first to the fifth quintile of trans fat intake, the mortality rates per 1000 person-years of follow-up (95% CIs) were 12.8 (11.3, 14.5), 14.3 (12.7, 16.2), 14.6 (13.0, 16.5), 19.0 (17.1, 21.1), and 23.6 (21.5, 25.9), respectively. After adjustment for demographic factors, education, and risk factors for mortality, the HRs (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality were 1.00, 1.03 (0.86, 1.23), 0.98 (0.82, 1.17), 1.25 (1.05, 1.48), and 1.24 (1.05, 1.48), respectively (P-trend = 0.004). The population attributable risk due to trans fat intake was 7% (95% CI: 5%, 8%).

Conclusion: Higher trans fat intake is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality.

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Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
A flow diagram showing how participants in the current analysis (n = 18,513) were selected from the REGARDS study (n = 30,239). REGARDS, Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Proportion of living participants by quintiles of energy-adjusted trans fat intake in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study (recruited from all across the continental United States from January 2003 to October 2007). Of 30,239 participants, 8986 were excluded for missing data from the Block 98 food-frequency questionnaires and 2740 for missing data on covariates, which left 18,513 participants for the current analysis. Differences in survival by quintiles of trans fat intake were analyzed by using the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank P value was <0.001.

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