Dietary Fat Predicts Coronary Heart Disease Events in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE — To investigate whether quantity or quality of dietary fat predicts coronary heart disease (CHD) events in middle-aged type 2 diabetic subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — The dietary habits of 366 type 2 diabetic men and 295 women, aged 45–64 years and free from CHD, were assessed with a 53-item food frequency questionnaire. They were followed up for 7 years. RESULTS — Men in the highest tertile of the polyunsaturated/saturated fat (P/S) ratio (0.28) had a significantly lower risk for CHD death than men in the two lowest tertiles (5.0 vs. 14.2%, P 0.009). The risk for all CHD events was 14.2 vs. 23.2%, respectively (P 0.044). P/S ratio did not predict CHD events in women. In Cox multiple regression analyses taking into account other cardiovascular risk factors, the highest P/S ratio tertile was associated with the lowest rate of CHD death in men (P 0.048). CONCLUSIONS — Low P/S ratio in men predicted future CHD events in type 2 diabetic subjects independently of conventional CHD risk factors. Diabetes Care 26:619–624, 2003 C oronary heart disease (CHD) is amajor cause of death in type 2 dia-betic patients. Recently, several pro