Trans fat raises risk of sudden cardiac death in women

Editor's note: Some readers may have gotten the message after reading news reports on a study saying that evidence was found in mummies that suggests that ancient men and women were not immune to heart disease.

Some reports are straight-talkers, telling readers that they should not blame junk foods for the high incidence of heart disease in the United States. We can't say diet is the only determinant for the risk of heart disease, but evidence is stronger than what was obtained from the mummies, which indicates that diet makes a difference.

Trans fat raises risk of sudden cardiac death in women

A new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that high intake of trans fat significantly increases risk of sudden cardiac death in women with prior diagnosed coronary heart disease.

The study of 86,762 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study found that of women who were diagnosed with coronary heart disease, those who had total trans fat intake in the highest quintile were 224 percent more likely to die of sudden cardiac death than those who had trans fat intake in the lowest quintile.

The study, however, found no significant association between intakes of total trans fat, trans-18:2, and trans-18:1 and risk of sudden cardiac death.

Previous studies have already linked total intake of trans fat to coronary heart disease, and recent research in male populations suggests that blood levels of trans fat isomers may have different effects on cardiovascular risk. But it is not clear how trans fat affects the risk in women.

Chiuve SE and colleagues conducted the study in hopes that they could establish a correlation between intake of trans fat and trans fat isomers and the risk of sudden cardiac death.

They examined the data on coronary heart disease risks including diet and lifestyle factors from the subjects who had been surveyed every 2 to 4 years for 26 years. During the followup, they recorded 317 sudden cardiac deaths.

There is a strong association between high intake of total trans fat and elevated risk of sudden cardiac death in women who had coronary heart disease diagnosed before they died. Women having highest intakes of trans fat were 3.24 times as likely to die than those who had lowest intakes.

Those who had highest intakes of total trans fat, trans-18:1 and trans-18:2 were 28 percent, eight percent, and 19 percent more likely to die of sudden cardiac death than those who had lowest intakes, respectively. But the researchers said the associations were not significant.

Trans fat is used in all types of processed foods and restaurant-served foods. Previous studies also by researchers from Harvard Medical School estimated that up to 100,000 men and women in the United States may die each year from heart disease due to intake of trans fat.

By David Liu and editing by Sheilah Downey