A Cohort Study
Flavonoid
Intake and Coronary Mortality in Finland:
A Cohort Study
Knekt P; Jarvinen R; Reunanen A; Maatela J.
Bmj, 1996 Feb 24, 312(7029):478-81. (UI: 96175965)
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE:
To study the association between dietary intake of flavonoids and
subsequent coronary mortality.
DESIGN:
A cohort study based on data collected at
the Finnish mobile clinic health examination survey from 1967-72
and followed up until 1992.
SETTINGS:
30 communities from different parts of Finland. SUBJECTS: 5133
Finnish men and women aged 30 69 years and free from heart
disease at baseline.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
Dietary intake of flavonoids, total mortality, and coronary
mortality.
RESULTS:
In women a significant inverse gradient was observed between
dietary intake of flavonoids and total and coronary mortality.
The relative risks between highest and lowest quarters of
flavonoid intake adjusted for age, smoking, serum cholesterol
concentration, blood pressure, and body mass index were 0.69 (95%
confidence interval 0.53 to 0.90) and 0.54 (0.33 to 0.87) for
total and coronary mortality, respectively. The corresponding
values for men were 0.76 (0.63 to 0.93) and 0.78 (0.56 to 1.08),
respectively. Adjustment for intake of antioxidant vitamins and
fatty acids weakened the associations for women; the relative
risks for coronary heart disease were 0.73 (0.41 to 1.32) and
0.67 (0.44 to 1.00) in women and men, respectively. Intakes of
onions and apples, the main dietary sources of flavonoids,
presented similar associations. The relative risks for coronary
mortality between highest and lowest quarters of apple intake
were 0.57 (0.36 to 0.91) and 0.81 (0.61 to 1.09) for women and
men, respectively. The corresponding values for onions were 0.50
(0.30 to 0.82) and 0.74 (0.53 to 1.02), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS:
The results suggest that people with very
low intakes of flavonoids have higher risks of coronary disease.
