DIETARY-FAT INTAKE AND CAROTID-ARTERY WALL THICKNESS - THE ATHEROSCLEROSIS RISK IN COMMUNITIES (ARIC) STUDY

Associations between atherosclerosis and dietary fat and cholesterol h ave been demonstrated in numerous animal experiments. The relation bet ween these dietary components and atherosclerosis has not previously b een reported in a population-based study among human beings. The assoc iations of dietary fat and cholesterol with carotid artery wall thickn ess (atherosclerosis) were investigated in a population-based study, t he Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, from 1987 to 1989 . Participants were 2,095 black women, 5,146 white women, 1,318 black men and 4,589 white men, aged 45-64 years, recruited from four US comm unities: Jackson, Mississippi; Forsyth County, North Carolina; Washing ton County, Maryland; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Habitual diet was as sessed with a food frequency questionnaire. Wall thickness was measure d with B-mode ultrasound. After adjustment for age and energy intake, animal fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol, and Keys' score were positively related to wall thickness, while vegetable fat and polyunsaturated fat were inversely related to wall thickness. Thes e associations persisted after further adjustment for smoking and hype rtension and were consistent across the four race and sex groups. Thus , elements of habitual dietary intake were consistently associated wit h carotid artery wall thickness, compatible with their putatively athe rogenic and antiatherogenic properties.