Aortic & peripheral vascular diseaseMeta-analysis
Association of circulating fatty acids with cardiovascular disease risk: analysis of individual-level data in three large prospective cohorts and updated meta-analysis
- Pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies and updated meta-analysis
- individual-level data from 3 cohorts
- random-effects meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
Collectively, the data reveal notable differences in associations by SFA sub-types
Study context
- Population
- Adults without prior vascular disease at baseline in EPIC-CVD, UK Biobank and INTERVAL
- Participants
- 172,891 adults · 3 cohorts
- Comparison
- Per 1-SD higher circulating FA concentrations
- Outcome
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including incident CHD and stroke, and CVD mortality
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
HR per 1-SD higher FA concentration
- Even-chain SFA, coronary heart disease (CHD) (EPIC-CVD)
- HR 1.24 (95% CI 1.18-1.32)
- Even-chain SFA, stroke (EPIC-CVD)
- HR 1.23 (1.10-1.38)
- Odd-chain SFA, CHD (EPIC-CVD)
- HR 0.82 (0.76-0.87)
- Odd-chain SFA, stroke (EPIC-CVD)
- HR 0.73 (0.67-0.78)
- Longer-chain SFA, CHD (EPIC-CVD)
- HR 0.95 (0.80-1.12)
- Longer-chain SFA, stroke (EPIC-CVD)
- HR 0.84 (0.72-0.99)
- Total n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), incident CHD (combined)
- HR 0.91 (0.85-0.97)
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), incident CHD (combined)
- HR 0.91 (0.84-0.98)
- Total n-6 PUFA, incident stroke (combined)
- HR 0.94 (0.91-0.98)
- Linoleic acid, incident stroke (combined)
- HR 0.89 (0.83-0.95)
Further pooled results
Updated meta-analyses (37 fatty acids (FAs), 49 non-overlapping studies)
- Broadly similar results; significant inverse associations of individual long-chain n-3 PUFAs and linoleic acid (LA) with both CHD and stroke
- 7787 to 22 802 CHD cases; 6499 to 14 221 stroke cases
RCT evidence
- Long-chain n-3 PUFA findings consistent with published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on CHD despite insufficient evidence in monotherapy; unclear for other FAs
Original publication
Association of circulating fatty acids with cardiovascular disease risk: analysis of individual-level data in three large prospective cohorts and updated meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 4 October 2024. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwae315
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it