Dietary glycemic load and index and risk of coronary heart disease in a large Italian cohort: The EPICOR study

  • Sabina Sieri
  • , Vittorio Krogh
  • , Franco Berrino
  • , Alberto Evangelista
  • , Claudia Agnoli
  • , Furio Brighenti
  • , Nicoletta Pellegrini
  • , Domenico Palli
  • , Giovanna Masala
  • , Carlotta Sacerdote
  • , Fabrizio Veglia
  • , Rosario Tumino
  • , Graziella Frasca
  • , Sara Grioni
  • , Valeria Pala
  • , Amalia Mattiello
  • , Paolo Chiodini
  • , Salvatore Panico

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Dietary glycemic load (GL) and glycemic index (GI) in relation to cardiovascular disease have been investigated in a few prospective studies with inconsistent results, particularly in men. The present EPICOR study investigated the association of GI and GL with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a large and heterogeneous cohort of Italian men and women originally recruited to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Methods: We studied 47 749 volunteers (15 171 men and 32 578 women) who completed a dietary questionnaire. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling estimated adjusted relative risks (RRs) of CHD and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: During a median of 7.9 years of follow-up, 463 CHD cases (158 women and 305 men) were identified. Women in the highest carbohydrate intake quartile had a significantly greater risk of CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.00; 95% CI,1.16-3.43), with no association found in men (P=.04 for interaction). Increasing carbohydrate intake from high-GI foods was also significantly associated with greater risk of CHDin women (RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.02-2.75), whereas increasing the intake of low-GI carbohydrates was not. Women in the highest GL quartile had a significantly greater risk of CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.26-3.98), with no significant association in men (P=.03 for interaction). Conclusion: In this Italian cohort, high dietary GL and carbohydrate intake from high-GI foods increase the over-all risk of CHD in women but not men.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)640-647
Number of pages8
JournalArchives of Internal Medicine
Volume170
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Apr 2010
Externally publishedYes

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