Adipose Tissue Trans Fatty Acids and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Dietary isomeric trans fatty acids (TFAs) are suspected of increasing the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). To assess the association between adipose tissue levels of TFA, a biomarker of intake and the risk of CAD, we conducted a population-based case-control study. METHODS: We studied 105 patients aged 30-73 years with angiographically proven coronary stenosis referred to Tehran Rajaee Cardiovascular Center, and 68 healthy subjects with no history of heart disease. Adipose tissue fatty acids were determined by gas liquid chromatography technique. RESULTS: Total TFAs in adipose tissue were higher in the cases than controls (p < 0.05). When all the subjects were classified into the three groups by tertiles of TFA levels, significant differences (p < 0.01) in LDL cholesterol were found among the three groups. After adjusting for established risk factors and other confounders, the OR of the interquintile of total TFA and trans-18:1 was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.0-1.8) and 1.32 (95% CI, 1.0-1.8), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that dietary intake of TFA is associated with increase in the risk of CAD. Further, our results show that the high percentage of TFA in adipose tissue of the Iranian population is alarming and that more health policies regarding the TFA content of hydrogenated oil used in Iran should be established.