Dietary Choline and Betaine Intake and Heart Disease Risk
Author Information
Author(s): Bidulescu Aurelian, Chambless Lloyd E, Siega-Riz Anna Maria, Zeisel Steven H, Heiss Gerardo
Primary Institution: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Hypothesis
Does low dietary intake of choline and betaine increase the risk of coronary heart disease?
Conclusion
Higher intakes of choline and betaine were not protective against incident coronary heart disease.
Supporting Evidence
- 1,072 incident CHD events were documented over 14 years of follow-up.
- Compared to the lowest quartile of intake, the highest quartile of choline intake showed a non-significant increase in CHD risk.
- The study adjusted for various confounding factors including age, sex, and dietary intake of other nutrients.
Takeaway
Eating more choline and betaine doesn't help prevent heart disease, even though we thought it might.
Methodology
A prospective study using food frequency questionnaires and proportional hazard regression models to assess dietary intake and CHD risk.
Limitations
The food frequency questionnaire may underestimate actual dietary intake, and there was no reliable blood biomarker for choline.
Participant Demographics
Middle-aged men and women, biracial cohort from four U.S. locales.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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