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Intake of specific flavonoids and risk of acute myocardial infarction in Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Alessandra Tavani*
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’, Via Eritrea 62, I-20157 Milan, Italy
Luana Spertini
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’, Via Eritrea 62, I-20157 Milan, Italy
Cristina Bosetti
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’, Via Eritrea 62, I-20157 Milan, Italy
Maria Parpinel
Affiliation:
Istituto di Igiene, Università di Udine, Udine, Italy
Patrizia Gnagnarella
Affiliation:
Divisione di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
Francesca Bravi
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’, Via Eritrea 62, I-20157 Milan, Italy
Julie Peterson
Affiliation:
Frances Stern Nutrition Center, Tufts–New England Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
Johanna Dwyer
Affiliation:
Schools of Medicine, Nutrition and the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
Pagona Lagiou
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
Eva Negri
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’, Via Eritrea 62, I-20157 Milan, Italy
Carlo La Vecchia
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche ‘Mario Negri’, Via Eritrea 62, I-20157 Milan, Italy Istituto di Statistica Medica e Biometria, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
*
*Corresponding author: Email tavani@marionegri.it
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Abstract

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Objective

As intake of flavonoids has been associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease but data on the relation with specific classes of flavonoids are scarce, we assessed the relation between dietary intake of specific classes of flavonoids and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in an Italian population.

Design

Case–control study. Dietary information was collected by interviewers on a questionnaire tested for validity and reproducibility. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by multiple logistic regression models including terms for energy and alcohol intake, as well as sociodemographic factors, tobacco and other major recognised risk factors for AMI.

Setting

Milan, Italy, between 1995 and 2003.

Subjects

Cases were 760 patients, below age 79 years, with a first episode of non-fatal AMI, and controls were 682 patients admitted to hospital for acute conditions unrelated to diet.

Results

A reduced risk of AMI was found for increasing intake of anthocyanidins (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.26–0.78 for the highest vs. the lowest quintile, Ptrend = 0.003) and flavonols (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.41–1.02, Ptrend = 0.02). A tendency towards reduced risks, although not significant, was observed for flavan-3-ols (OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.48–1.10) and total flavonoids (OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.49–1.14). No meaningful heterogeneity was found between the sexes. No association emerged for other flavonoids, including isoflavones, flavanones and flavones.

Conclusions

High intake of anthocyanidins reduced the risk of AMI even after allowance for alcohol, fruit and vegetables, supporting a real inverse association between this class of flavonoids and AMI risk.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

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