Intake of alpha-linolenic acid and risk of coronary heart disease

Intake of the mainly plant derived n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) α-linolenic acid (ALA) has been associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the association between ALA consumption and risk of CHD. Potential effect modification by long-chain n-3 PUFA (n-3 LCPUFA) was also investigated. Data from eight American and European prospective cohort studies including 148,675 women and 80,368 men were used. The outcome measure was incident CHD (CHD event and death). During follow-up of 4-10 years, 4,493 CHD events and 1,751 CHD deaths occurred. Among men we found an inverse association (not significant) between intake of ALA and CHD event and death. For each additional gram of ALA, there was a 15% lower risk of CHD events (HR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.72, 1.01) and a 23% lower risk of CHD deaths (HR: 0.77; 95% CI 0.58, 1.01). We found no consistent associations among women. No effect modification by intake of n-3 LCPUFA was found.