Association of Dietary Intake of Trans Fatty Acids and Coronary Heart Disease Risk in Jordanian Subjects

Abstract

The underlying role of dietary Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) intake in the aetiology of Coronary Heart Diseases (CHD) and its influence on serum lipid levels is very well established. The present study was conducted to estimate the dietary intake of TFA among selected cases of CHD and healthy participants and to investigate the strength of the association between TFA intake and CHD risk in Jordan. Using a case-control design, 100 patients known to have CHD of either sex and 91 healthy controls of age <60 y were examined. Daily intake of TFA was estimated using a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Mean daily dietary intake of %TFA was significantly higher in cases (0.78±0.55) as compared to controls (0.62±0.28, p = 0.01). Daily TFA intake was significantly positively associated with CHD risk in cases as compared to controls [RR: 2.4 (1.1-4.9), p = 0.01]. The RR of CHD for TFA intake within the highest quartile as compared to the lowest was associated with increased risk of CHD by 4.9 fold (95% CI: 1.3-17.4, p = 0.01) in cases as compared to controls. Finally, the major food sources of TFA intake was contributed by fast food, meats and dairy products. Therefore, proper food labeling of TFA, especially on local foods would help to minimize TFA intake and therefore reduce the risk of CHD incidence in Jordan.