Dietary α‐Linolenic Acid, Marine ω‐3 Fatty Acids, and Mortality in a Population With High Fish Consumption: Findings From the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotective role of α‐linolenic acid (ALA), a plant‐derived ω‐3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALA is beneficial in a background of high marine ω‐3 fatty acids (long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA (0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all‐cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society's recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (≥500 mg/day). Methods and Results: We longitudinally evaluated 7202 participants in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios. ALA intake correlated to walnut consumption (r=0.94). During a 5.9‐y follow‐up, 431 deaths occurred (104 cardiovascular disease, 55 coronary heart disease, 32 sudden cardiac death, 25 stroke). The hazard ratios for meeting ALA recommendation (n=1615, 22.4%) were 0.72 (95% CI 0.56–0.92) for all‐cause mortality and 0.95 (95% CI 0.58–1.57) for fatal cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios for meeting the recommendation for long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n=5452, 75.7%) were 0.84 (95% CI 0.67–1.05) for all‐cause mortality, 0.61 (95% CI 0.39–0.96) for fatal cardiovascular disease, 0.54 (95% CI 0.29–0.99) for fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.49 (95% CI 0.22–1.01) for sudden cardiac death. The highest reduction in all‐cause mortality occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.45–0.87]). Conclusions: In participants without prior cardiovascular disease and high fish consumption, dietary ALA, supplied mainly by walnuts and olive oil, relates inversely to all‐cause mortality, whereas protection from cardiac mortality is limited to fish‐derived long‐chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.Controlled-trials.com/. Unique identifier: ISRCTN35739639

Prevalencia de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en los trabajadores de una fábrica de Navarra

Se ha comunicado una alta prevalencia de los factores de riesgo (FR) cardiovascular en España. El objetivo del estudio es determinar la prevalencia de los principales FR de cardiopatía isquémica (hipercolesterolemia, bajo HDL, consumo de tabaco, hipertensión arterial, hiperglucemia, obesidad y sedentarismo) en población laboral de Navarra. El presente estudio representa la evaluación basal de un ensayo aleatorizado de intervención dirigido a la prevención primaria. La muestra estudiada fue de 790 trabajadores (742 varones y 48 mujeres). Para cada trabajador se recogió información mediante cuestionario estandarizado cumplimentado por el servicio médico de empresa y se le realizó una exploración física. El colesterol total y el HDL se midieron en sangre venosa por autoanalizador enzimático. Se realizó una descripción de los datos (porcentajes de los factores de riesgo y estimación de medias de variables continuas). El 67,2% de la muestra tuvo valores de colesterol total superiores a 200 mg/dl y el 26,3% tuvo cifras de HDL inferiores a 35 mg/dl. El 37,1% eran fumadores habituales. La prevalencia de hipertensos fue del 7,6%. El 72,1% alcanzó un índice de masa corporal superior a 25 Kg/m2 y el 20,6% se clasificó como sedentarios ya que no realizaban ejercicio físico en el tiempo libre. La prevalencia de hiperglucemia fue del 1,4%. Sólo el 4,2% de los trabajadores estaban absolutamente libres de los FR estudiados. Se detectó una elevada prevalencia de hipercolesterolemia, consumo de tabaco y sobrepeso, que apoya la pertinencia de la implantación de programas de intervención de prevención primaria de enfermedades cardiovasculares en el medio laboral.A high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (RFs) has been reported in Spain. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of the principal RFs of coronary heart disease (hypercholesterolaemia, low HDL, smoking, arterial hypertension, hyperglycaemia, obesity and sedentary behaviour) in the working population of Navarra. The present study represents the first baseline evaluation of a randomised intervention of primary prevention. The sample under study consisted of 790 workers (742 men and 48 women). Information was gathered on each worker by means of a standardised questionnaire, by the company medical service, and a physical check up was carried out. Total cholesterol and HDL were measured in venous blood by enzymatic autoanalyser. A description was made of the data (percentages of the risk factors and estimation of means for continuous variables). 67.2% of the sample had total cholesterol values higher than 200 mg/dl and 26.3% had HDL levels below 35 mg/dl. 37.1% were regular smokers. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 7.6%. 72.1% reached a body mass index above 25 Kg/m2 and 20.6% classified themselves as sedentary as they did not participate in any physical activity during their leisure time. The prevalence of hyperglycaemia was 1.4%. Only 4.2% of the workers were free of the risk factors under study. A high prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia was detected, and overweight, which supports the pertinence of establishing intervention programs of primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases at the work-site

Prevalencia de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en los trabajadores de una fábrica de Navarra

Se ha comunicado una alta prevalencia de los factores de riesgo (FR) cardiovascular en España. El objetivo del estudio es determinar la prevalencia de los principales FR de cardiopatía isquémica (hipercolesterolemia, bajo HDL, consumo de tabaco, hipertensión arterial, hiperglucemia, obesidad y sedentarismo) en población laboral de Navarra. El presente estudio representa la evaluación basal de un ensayo aleatorizado de intervención dirigido a la prevención primaria. La muestra estudiada fue de 790 trabajadores (742 varones y 48 mujeres). Para cada trabajador se recogió información mediante cuestionario estandarizado cumplimentado por el servicio médico de empresa y se le realizó una exploración física. El colesterol total y el HDL se midieron en sangre venosa por autoanalizador enzimático. Se realizó una descripción de los datos (porcentajes de los factores de riesgo y estimación de medias de variables continuas). El 67,2% de la muestra tuvo valores de colesterol total superiores a 200 mg/dl y el 26,3% tuvo cifras de HDL inferiores a 35 mg/dl. El 37,1% eran fumadores habituales. La prevalencia de hipertensos fue del 7,6%. El 72,1% alcanzó un índice de masa corporal superior a 25 Kg/m2 y el 20,6% se clasificó como sedentarios ya que no realizaban ejercicio físico en el tiempo libre. La prevalencia de hiperglucemia fue del 1,4%. Sólo el 4,2% de los trabajadores estaban absolutamente libres de los FR estudiados. Se detectó una elevada prevalencia de hipercolesterolemia, consumo de tabaco y sobrepeso, que apoya la pertinencia de la implantación de programas de intervención de prevención primaria de enfermedades cardiovasculares en el medio laboral.A high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (RFs) has been reported in Spain. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of the principal RFs of coronary heart disease (hypercholesterolaemia, low HDL, smoking, arterial hypertension, hyperglycaemia, obesity and sedentary behaviour) in the working population of Navarra. The present study represents the first baseline evaluation of a randomised intervention of primary prevention. The sample under study consisted of 790 workers (742 men and 48 women). Information was gathered on each worker by means of a standardised questionnaire, by the company medical service, and a physical check up was carried out. Total cholesterol and HDL were measured in venous blood by enzymatic autoanalyser. A description was made of the data (percentages of the risk factors and estimation of means for continuous variables). 67.2% of the sample had total cholesterol values higher than 200 mg/dl and 26.3% had HDL levels below 35 mg/dl. 37.1% were regular smokers. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 7.6%. 72.1% reached a body mass index above 25 Kg/m2 and 20.6% classified themselves as sedentary as they did not participate in any physical activity during their leisure time. The prevalence of hyperglycaemia was 1.4%. Only 4.2% of the workers were free of the risk factors under study. A high prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia was detected, and overweight, which supports the pertinence of establishing intervention programs of primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases at the work-site

Knowledge, attitudes, behavioral and organizational factors of health professions students for a competent smoking cessation practice: An instrument adaptation and psychometric validation study in Spanish and English samples

Background: To improve smoking cessation, training of health professions students is essential. However, no specific instrument is available to assess factors that may affect students' learning about smoking cessation practice. Aim: To adapt and validate the Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Organization questionnaire in the population of undergraduate health professions students. Design: Methodological research. Methods: The researchers conducted this study with 511 Spanish and 186 English health professions students from four different universities. We used a four-step approach: 1) adaptation of the items to the target population and validation of the content by a panel of experts; 2) a pilot study to test face validity; 3) linguistic adaptation of the Spanish version to English; and 4) the psychometric assessment based on construct validity, criterion validity and internal consistency. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed four subscales for the Spanish version, namely 'Individual knowledge and skills', 'Individual attitudes and beliefs', 'Organizational support' and 'Organizational resources', which accounted for 85.1% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis in the holdout Spanish and English samples revealed adequate goodness-of-fit values, supporting the factor structure. Hypotheses testing demonstrated significant differences by capacitation in smoking cessation interventions and degree courses, providing further evidence regarding construct validity. All the subscales correlated positively with the criterion variables (5 A's smoking cessation model), except for the 'Organizational resources' subscale, which was not significantly correlated with the 5 A's. The overall Cronbach's alpha was.83 for the Spanish version and.88 for the English one. Conclusions: Our results provide empirical support for the use of the Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Organization questionnaire for Students as a reliable and valid instrument to assess knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and organization perceptions in health professions students, which is essential for competent smoking cessation practice. Interestingly, 'Organizational resources' subscale presented the lowest correlations among factors and did not correlate with any component of the 5 A's, suggesting the need of enhancing students' responsibility and involvement during their internships, as well as the interest of some organizations

Potato consumption does not increase blood pressure or incident hypertension in 2 cohorts of Spanish adults

5 TablasBackground: Potatoes have a high glycemic load but also antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It is unclear what mechanisms are involved in relation to their effect on blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the association between potato consumption, BP changes, and the risk of hypertension in 2 Spanish populations. Methods: Separate analyses were performed in PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea), a multicenter nutrition intervention trial of adults aged 55-80 y, and the SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) project, a prospective cohort made up of university graduates and educated adults with ages (means±SDs) of 42.7±13.3 y for men and 35.1± 10.7 y for women. In PREDIMED, generalized estimating equations adjusted for lifestyle and dietary characteristics were used to assess changes in BP across quintiles of total potato consumption during a 4-y follow-up. Controlled BP values (systolic BP < 140 mm Hg and diastolic BP < 90 mm Hg) during follow-up were also assessed. For SUN, multivariateadjusted HRs for incident hypertension during a mean 6.7-y follow-up were calculated. Results: In PREDIMED, the total potato intake was 81.9 ± 40.6 g/d. No overall differences in systolic or diastolic BP changes were detected based on consumption of potatoes. For total potatoes, the mean difference in change between quintile 5 (highest intake) and quintile 1 (lowest intake) in systolic BP after multivariate adjustment was 20.90 mm Hg (95% CI: -2.56, 0.76 mm Hg; P-trend = 0.1) and for diastolic BP was 20.02 mm Hg (95% CI: -0.93, 0.89 mm Hg; P-trend = 0.8). In SUN, the total potato consumption was 52.7 ± 33.6 g/d, and no significant association between potato consumption and hypertension incidence was observed in the fully adjusted HR for total potato consumption (quintile 5 compared with quintile 1: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.80, 1.19; P-trend = 0.8). Conclusions: Potato consumption is not associated with changes over 4 y in blood pressure among older adults in Spain or with the risk of hypertension among Spanish adults.Supported by the official funding agency for biomedical research of the Spanish Government, Instituto de Salud Carlos III through grants provided to research networks specifically developed for the trial (RTIC G03/140, to RE; RTIC RD 06/0045, to MAM-G) and through Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), and by grants from Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC 06/2007), Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria–Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional [Proyecto de Investigación (PI) 04-2239, PI 05/2584, CP06/00100, PI07/0240, PI07/1138, PI07/0954, PI 07/0473, PI10/01407, PI10/02658, PI11/01647, P11/02505 and PI13/00462], Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación [Recursos y teconologia agroalimentarias (AGL)-2009-13906-C02 and AGL2010-22319-C03 and AGL2013-49083-C3-1-R], Fundación Mapfre 2010, the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0105/2007), the Public Health Division of the Department of Health of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Generalitat Valenciana [Generalitat Valenciana Ayuda Complementaria (GVACOMP) 06109, GVACOMP2010-181, GVACOMP2011-151], Conselleria de Sanitat y AP; Atención Primaria (CS) 2010-AP-111 and CS2011-AP-042, and Regional Government of Navarra (P27/2011)

Dietary inflammatory index and all-cause mortality in large cohorts: The SUN and PREDIMED studies

[Background]: Inflammation is known to be related to the leading causes of death including cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression-suicide and other chronic diseases. In the context of whole dietary patterns, the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) was developed to appraise the inflammatory potential of the diet. [Objective]: We prospectively assessed the association between DII scores and all-cause mortality in two large Spanish cohorts and valuated the consistency of findings across these two cohorts and results published based on other cohorts.[Design]: We assessed 18,566 participants in the “Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra” (SUN) cohort followed-up during 188,891 person-years and 6790 participants in the “PREvencion con DIeta MEDiterránea” (PREDIMED) randomized trial representing 30,233 person-years of follow-up. DII scores were calculated in both cohorts from validated FFQs. Higher DII scores corresponded to more proinflammatory diets. A total of 230 and 302 deaths occurred in SUN and PREDIMED, respectively. In a random-effect meta-analysis we included 12 prospective studies (SUN, PREDIMED and 10 additional studies) that assessed the association between DII scores and all-cause mortality.[Results]: After adjusting for a wide array of potential confounders, the comparison between extreme quartiles of the DII showed a positive and significant association with all-cause mortality in both the SUN (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.98; P-trend = 0.004) and the PREDIMED cohort (HR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.00, 2.02; P-trend = 0.009). In the meta-analysis of 12 cohorts, the DII was significantly associated with an increase of 23% in all-cause mortality (95% CI: 16%–32%, for the highest vs lowest category of DII).[Conclusion]: Our results provide strong and consistent support for the hypothesis that a pro-inflammatory diet is associated with increased all-cause mortality. The SUN cohort and PREDIMED trial were registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02669602 and at isrctn.com as ISRCTN35739639, respectively.Supported by the official funding agency for biomedical research of the Spanish Government, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), through grants provided to research networks specifically developed for the trial (RTIC G03/140, to R.E.; RTIC RD 06/0045, to Miguel A. Martínez-González) and through Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), and by grants from Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC 06/2007), Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria–Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (Proyecto de Investigación (PI) 04-2239, PI 05/2584, CP06/00100, PI07/0240, PI07/1138, PI07/0954, PI 07/0473, PI10/01407, PI10/02658, PI11/01647, P11/02505, PI13/00462, PI13/00615, PI13/01090, PI14/01668, PI14/01798, PI14/01764), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Recursos y teconologia agroalimentarias(AGL)-2009-13906-C02 and AGL2010-22319-C03 and AGL2013-49083-C3-1- R), Fundación Mapfre 2010, the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI0105/2007), the Public Health Division of the Department of Health of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Generalitat Valenciana (Generalitat Valenciana Ayuda Complementaria (GVACOMP) 06109, GVACOMP2010-181, GVACOMP2011-151), Conselleria de Sanitat y, PI14/01764 AP; Atención Primaria (CS) 2010-AP-111, and CS2011-AP-042), and Regional Government of Navarra (P27/2011).). Drs. Shivappa and Hébert were supported by grant number R44DK103377 from the United States National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Dietary α-linolenic acid, marine ω-3 fatty acids, and mortality in a population with high fish consumption: Findings from the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) Study

12 Páginas.-- 6 Tablas.-- 1 FiguraBackground-Epidemiological evidence suggests a cardioprotective role of α-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-derived ω-3 fatty acid. It is unclear whether ALA is beneficial in a background of high marine ω-3 fatty acids (long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intake. In persons at high cardiovascular risk from Spain, a country in which fish consumption is customarily high, we investigated whether meeting the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids recommendation for dietary ALA (0.7% of total energy) at baseline was related to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. We also examined the effect of meeting the society's recommendation for long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (≥500 mg/day). Methods and Results-We longitudinally evaluated 7202 participants in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) trial. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regressionmodels were fitted to estimate hazard ratios. ALA intake correlated towalnut consumption (r=0.94). During a 5.9-y follow-up, 431 deaths occurred (104 cardiovascular disease, 55 coronary heart disease, 32 sudden cardiac death, 25 stroke). The hazard ratios formeeting ALArecommendation (n=1615, 22.4%) were 0.72 (95% CI 0.56-0.92) for all-causemortality and 0.95 (95% CI 0.58-1.57) for fatal cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios formeeting the recommendation for long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n=5452, 75.7%) were 0.84 (95% CI 0.67-1.05) for all-causemortality, 0.61 (95% CI 0.39-0.96) for fatal cardiovascular disease, 0.54 (95% CI 0.29-0.99) for fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.49 (95% CI 0.22-1.01) for sudden cardiac death. The highest reduction in all-cause mortality occurred in participants meeting both recommendations (hazard ratio 0.63 [95% CI 0.45-0.87]). Conclusions-In participants without prior cardiovascular disease and high fish consumption, dietary ALA, supplied mainly by walnuts and olive oil, relates inversely to all-cause mortality, whereas protection from cardiac mortality is limited to fish-derived long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.This study was funded in part by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (Spanish Ministry of Economy) through grants RTIC G03/140, RTIC RD 06/0045, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares CNIC 06/2007, ISCIII FIS PS09/01292, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) AGL2010‐22319‐C03‐02 and AGL2009‐13906‐C02‐02, and an unrestricted grant from the California Walnut Commission. Sala‐Vila holds a Miguel Servet I fellowship from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the ISCIII

Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease by the Framingham‐REGICOR Equation in the High‐Risk PREDIMED Cohort: Impact of the Mediterranean Diet Across Different Risk Strata

Background: The usefulness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) predictive equations in different populations is debatable. We assessed the efficacy of the Framingham‐REGICOR scale, validated for the Spanish population, to identify future CVD in participants, who were predefined as being at high‐risk in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) study—a nutrition‐intervention primary prevention trial—and the impact of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on CVD across risk categories. Methods and Results: In a post hoc analysis, we assessed the CVD predictive value of baseline estimated risk in 5966 PREDIMED participants (aged 55–74 years, 57% women; 48% with type 2 diabetes mellitus). Major CVD events, the primary PREDIMED end point, were an aggregate of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Multivariate‐adjusted Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios for major CVD events and effect modification from the Mediterranean diet intervention across risk strata (low, moderate, high, very high). The Framingham‐REGICOR classification of PREDIMED participants was 25.1% low risk, 44.5% moderate risk, and 30.4% high or very high risk. During 6‐year follow‐up, 188 major CVD events occurred. Hazard ratios for major CVD events increased in parallel with estimated risk (2.68, 4.24, and 6.60 for moderate, high, and very high risk), particularly in men (7.60, 13.16, and 15.85, respectively, versus 2.16, 2.28, and 3.51, respectively, in women). Yet among those with low or moderate risk, 32.2% and 74.3% of major CVD events occurred in men and women, respectively. Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with CVD risk reduction regardless of risk strata (P>0.4 for interaction). Conclusions: Incident CVD increased in parallel with estimated risk in the PREDIMED cohort, but most events occurred in non–high‐risk categories, particularly in women. Until predictive tools are improved, promotion of the Mediterranean diet might be useful to reduce CVD independent of baseline risk