scholarly journals Nonesterified Fatty Acids and Hospitalizations Among Older Adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Author(s):  
Peter D Ahiawodzi ◽  
Petra Buzkova ◽  
Luc Djousse ◽  
Joachim H Ix ◽  
Jorge R Kizer ◽  
...  

Abstract Background We sought to determine associations between total serum concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and incident total and cause-specific hospitalizations in a community-living cohort of older adults. Methods We included 4715 participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study who had fasting total serum NEFA measured at the 1992/1993 clinic visit and were followed for a median of 12 years. We identified all inpatient admissions requiring at least an overnight hospitalization and used primary diagnostic codes to categorize cause-specific hospitalizations. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to determine associations with time-to-first hospitalization and Poisson regression for the rate ratios (RRs) of hospitalizations and days hospitalized. Results We identified 21 339 hospitalizations during follow-up. In fully adjusted models, higher total NEFAs were significantly associated with higher risk of incident hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR] per SD [0.2 mEq/L] = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–1.10, p < .001), number of hospitalizations (RR per SD = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.07, p = .01), and total number of days hospitalized (RR per SD = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01–1.10, p = .01). Among hospitalization subtypes, higher NEFA was associated with higher likelihood of mental, neurologic, respiratory, and musculoskeletal causes of hospitalization. Among specific causes of hospitalization, higher NEFA was associated with diabetes, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Conclusions Higher fasting total serum NEFAs are associated with a broad array of causes of hospitalization among older adults. While some of these were expected, our results illustrate a possible utility of NEFAs as biomarkers for risk of hospitalization, and total days hospitalized, in older adults. Further research is needed to determine whether interventions based on NEFAs might be feasible.

Cardiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Luc Djousse ◽  
Mary L. Biggs ◽  
Nirupa R. Matthan ◽  
Joachim H. Ix ◽  
Annette L. Fitzpatrick ◽  
...  

Background: Heart failure (HF) is highly prevalent among older adults and is associated with high costs. Although serum total nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) have been positively associated with HF risk, the contribution of each individual NEFA to HF risk has not been examined. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association of individual fasting NEFAs with HF risk in older adults. Methods: In this prospective cohort study of older adults, we measured 35 individual NEFAs in 2,140 participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study using gas chromatography. HF was ascertained using review of medical records by an endpoint committee. Results: The mean age was 77.7 ± 4.4 years, and 38.8% were male. During a median follow-up of 9.7 (maximum 19.0) years, 655 new cases of HF occurred. In a multivariable Cox regression model controlling for demographic and anthropometric variables, field center, education, serum albumin, glomerular filtration rate, physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking, hormone replacement therapy, unintentional weight loss, and all other measured NEFAs, we observed inverse associations (HR [95% CI] per standard deviation) of nonesterified pentadecanoic (15:0) (0.73 [0.57–0.94]), γ-linolenic acid (GLA) (0.87 [0.75–1.00]), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (0.73 [0.61–0.88]) acids with HF, and positive associations of nonesterified stearic (18:0) (1.30 [1.04–1.63]) and nervonic (24:1n-9) (1.17 [1.06–1.29]) acids with HF. Conclusion: Our data are consistent with a higher risk of HF with nonesterified stearic and nervonic acids and a lower risk with nonesterified 15:0, GLA, and DHA in older adults. If confirmed in other studies, specific NEFAs may provide new targets for HF prevention.


Author(s):  
Neil K. Huang ◽  
Mary L. Biggs ◽  
Nirupa R. Matthan ◽  
Luc Djoussé ◽  
W. T. Longstreth ◽  
...  

Background Significant associations between total nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations and incident stroke have been reported in some prospective cohort studies. We evaluated the associations between incident stroke and serum concentrations of nonesterified saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fatty acids. Methods and Results CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study) participants (N=2028) who were free of stroke at baseline (1996–1997) and had an archived fasting serum sample were included in this study. A total of 35 NEFAs were quantified using gas chromatography. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate associations of 5 subclasses (nonesterified saturated, monounsaturated, omega (n)‐6 polyunsaturated, n‐3 polyunsaturated, and trans fatty acids) of NEFAs and individual NEFAs with incident stroke. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by excluding cases with hemorrhagic stroke (n=45). A total of 338 cases of incident stroke occurred during the median 10.5‐year follow‐up period. Total n‐3 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.77 [95% CI, 0.61–0.97]) and n‐6 (HR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.01–1.73]) subclasses of NEFA were negatively and positively associated with incident stroke, respectively. Among individual NEFAs, dihomo‐γ‐linolenic acid (20:3n‐6) was associated with higher risk (HR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.02–1.63]), whereas cis ‐7‐hexadecenoic acid (16:1n‐9 c ) and arachidonic acid (20:4n‐6) were associated with a lower risk (HR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.47–0.97]; HR, 0.81 [95% CI. 0.65–1.00], respectively) of incident stroke per standard deviation increment. After the exclusion of cases with hemorrhagic stroke, these associations did not remain significant. Conclusions A total of 2 NEFA subclasses and 3 individual NEFAs were associated with incident stroke. Of these, the NEFA n‐3 subclass and dihomo‐γ‐linolenic acid are diet derived and may be potential biomarkers for total stroke risk.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianyi Wang ◽  
Fumiaki Imamura ◽  
Wenjie Ma ◽  
Rozenn N Lemaitre ◽  
Irena B King ◽  
...  

Background: While trans-fatty acids (TFA) influence CHD, their effects on type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) are not established, with mixed findings of experimental, short-term intervention, and observational studies. Effects may vary depending on specific TFA subtype or method of assessment (circulating biomarkers vs. diet). Objectives: To examine prospective associations of circulating and estimated dietary TFA with risk of incident DM in older adults. Methods: Plasma phospholipid trans-(t-)16:1n9, total t-18:1, and cis/trans-(c/t-), t/c- and t/t-18:2(n6,9) were measured in blood stored among 3,076 adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), aged 74±5y and free of prevalent DM in 1992. Dietary TFA was estimated among 4,246 adults free of prevalent DM when dietary questionnaires were initially administered in 1989 (n=3,917) or in 1996 (n=329). Incident DM up to 2009 was defined as new use of insulin or hypoglycemic drugs, fasting glucose≥126 mg/dL, nonfasting glucose≥200 mg/dL, or 2-hour post-challenge glucose≥200 mg/dL. The relative risk of incident DM associated with each TFA subtype was assessed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Levels of each circulating TFA subtype varied from 2.00±0.73 (% of fatty acids) for t-18:1 to 0.05±0.02 for t/t-18:2. TFA subtypes were moderately to highly intercorrelated (r=0.4 to 0.8), except for t/t-18:2 which weakly correlated with all other TFAs (r<0.1). During 30,927 person-years, 364 DM cases occurred among participants with plasma phospholipid TFA measures. Adjusting for demographics, lifestyle factors, and medical history, lower DM risk was associated with higher levels of t-16:1n9 (Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1 HR=0.76, p trend=0.03), total t-18:1 (HR=0.71, p trend=0.02) and t/t-18:2 (HR=0.73, p trend=0.04). However, further mutual adjustment for the different TFA subtypes attenuated these inverse associations, and none of the 5 circulating TFA biomarkers were independently related to incident DM (p trend≥0.14 for all). During 50,508 person-years in the dietary analyses, 453 DM cases occurred. Adjusting for demographics, lifestyle, medical history, and other dietary habits, increased DM risk was observed among participants with higher consumption of total TFA (Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1 HR=1.40, p trend=0.04) and t-18:2 (HR=1.49, p trend=0.006), and t-18:1 consumption (HR=1.32, p trend=0.08), although the latter was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Plasma phospholipid TFA subtypes were not associated, whereas dietary total TFA and t-18:2 were positively associated, with incident DM among older adults. These findings highlight the need to understand how dietary TFA may influence DM and why associations may differ for circulating versus dietary TFAs.


Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumiaki Imamura ◽  
Rozenn N Lemaitre ◽  
Irena King ◽  
Xiaoling Song ◽  
David S Siscovick ◽  
...  

Background: Decades-old animal experiments demonstrated that consumption of large amounts of long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (LCMUFA, 22:1 and 24:1 fatty acids) caused cardiotoxicity. We recently found that plasma phospholipid 22:1 and 24:1 were associated with higher incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF) in two independent cohorts: the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. However, their association with incident CHD is unknown. Aim: to investigate association of plasma phospholipid 22:1 and 24:1 levels with incident CHD. Methods: The study included 3,221 adults free of CHD (age=74.9±5.2) in CHS in whom plasma phospholipid LCMUFA were measured in 1992. Incident CHD events from 1992 to 2006 were centrally adjudicated, and we assessed total CHD, including fatal CHD (fatal MI and other CHD deaths) and non-fatal MI. We examined prospective associations of LCMUFA with incident CHD using Cox proportional hazards. We further evaluated potential confounding or mediation by baseline risk factors and incident CHF. Results: Mean±SD phospholipid levels of 22:1 and 24:1 were 0.03±0.01 and 1.96±0.44 percent of total fatty acids. During 34,776 person-years, 628 incident CHD events occurred, including 309 fatal CHD and 401 non-fatal MIs. After multivariable adjustment, higher levels of both 22:1 and 24:1 were associated with higher risk of total incident CHD. Hazard ratios (95% CI) for quintiles 5 vs. 1 of 22:1 and 24:1 levels were 1.48 (1.07-2.06, p trend=0.005) and 1.65 (1.16-2.34, p trend=0.001). The associations with CHD were largely specific to fatal CHD rather than non-fatal MI (Figure). These associations did not change after adjustment for incident CHF and baseline risk factors including circulating lipids, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers. Conclusions: Higher levels of circulating 22:1 and 24:1 LCMUFA were associated with higher incidence of CHD, in particular fatal CHD, supporting the possibility of cardiotoxicity by current levels of LCMUFA exposure.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document