Citation: Tokede, O.A., Petrone, A.B., Hanson, N.Q., Tsai, M.Y., Weir, N.A., Glynn, R.J.,…Djoussé, L. (2013). Plasma phospholipid trans fatty acids and risk of heart failure. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 97(4), 698-705.
Study Type: Case-Control
Disease/Health Outcome: Heart failure
Exposure: The consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs) through food.
Describe the Cases (method of selection, size, location) 788 incident HF cases, from the Physicians’ Health Study for biomarker analyses. All incident HF cases among participants who provided baseline blood samples were eligible to serve as cases in this study. Location was not mentioned in the article. There is a mention of reference with detail description of Physicians’ Health Study.
Describe the Controls (method of selection, size, location) 788 matched controls, from the Physicians’ Health Study for biomarker analyses. We used a risk set technique to randomly select one controlsubject, free of HF at the time of the index case’s diagnosis of HF.Location was not mentioned in the article. There is a mention of reference with detail description of Physicians’ Health Study.
Method of exposure assessment Plasma fatty acids were assessed by using gas chromatography.Information on dietary fatty acid consumption was obtained by using an FFQ administered between 1997 and 2001.
Main findings with evidence
(association between exposure and disease) The study showed thatthere was significant association of higher concentrations of plasma trans 18:2 with lower risk of HF. There was no significant association between plasma trans 16:1 or trans 18:1 fatty acids and HF in male physicians. Dietary trans fats were not statistically significant associated with incident of HF or CAD.
Limitations identified by the authors
The measurement of plasma phospholipid TFA concentrations was performed on baseline blood samples and therefore may not fully represent habitual patterns of dietary TFA consumption. Also, whereas plasma concentrations of TFAs are biomarkers of dietary TFA consumption, it is important to note that there are other non dietary factors that may influence measured fatty acid biomarkers, for example, metabolism, endogenous synthesis, and sample handling/storage, and diseases (diabetes, malabsorption). In addition, participants in our study were all middle-aged male physicians and were mostly white; hence, our findings cannot be generalized to the overall US population.

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