Snus (Swedish smokeless tobacco) use and risk of stroke: pooled analyses of incidence and survival.

BACKGROUND: Snus is a moist smokeless tobacco product with high nicotine content. Its use has a short-term effect on the cardiovascular system, but the relationship between snus use and stroke is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the associations between use of snus and incidence of and survival after stroke, both overall and according to subtypes. METHODS: Pooled analyses of eight Swedish prospective cohort studies were conducted, including 130 485 men who never smoked. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of incidence and death after diagnosis using Cox proportional hazard regression models and case fatality and survival using logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier methods, respectively. RESULTS: No associations were observed between the use of snus and the risk of overall stroke (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.92-1.17) or of any of the stroke subtypes. The odds ratio (OR) of 28-day case fatality was 1.42 (95% CI 0.99-2.04) amongst users of snus who had experienced a stroke, and the HR of death during the follow-up period was 1.32 (95% CI 1.08-1.61). CONCLUSION: Use of snus was not associated with the risk of stroke. Hence, nicotine is unlikely to contribute importantly to the pathophysiology of stroke. However, case fatality was increased in snus users, compared with nonusers, but further studies are needed to determine any possible causal mechanisms.

Von Willebrand factor predicts major bleeding and mortality during oral anticoagulant treatment.

AIMS: Oral anticoagulation (OAC), predominantly with warfarin, is an effective treatment to prevent thromboembolic events. Serious bleeding is a frequent and feared treatment complication. In this longitudinal cohort study of OAC-treated patients, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels and risk of bleeding complications, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 719 patients receiving warfarin treatment were observed for a mean duration of 4.2 years. All bleeding complications causing hospitalization were registered and classified into clinically relevant bleeding (CRB) and major bleeding. Ischaemic stroke, peripheral arterial embolism, myocardial infarction, and death were also recorded. We identified 113 cases of CRB and 73 of major bleeding. In total, 161 deaths occurred during follow-up with cardiovascular disease identified as the cause of death in 110 patients. Patients in the highest tertile of VWF had a significantly increased risk of bleeding complications: hazard ratio (HR) 2.53 (95% CI 1.41-4.56) for major bleeding and HR 2.19 (95% CI 1.38-3.48) for CRB. VWF, expressed either in tertiles or as a continuous variable, showed a significant association with cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.40-2.01) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.52-2.05). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, the findings remained significant after adjusting for age, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high levels of VWF had an increased risk of bleeding complications, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality during OAC treatment. Our findings imply that the use of VWF as a risk marker for thromboembolic events is complicated by the association of VWF with bleeding complications.

Low bone mineral density is associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction in men and women.

UNLABELLED: The association between bone mineral density (BMD) and myocardial infarction (MI) was investigated in 6,872 men and women. For both men and women, lower BMD in the femoral neck and hip was associated with increased risk of MI largely independent of smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes. INTRODUCTION: The relationship between BMD and cardiovascular disease is not completely understood. The objective of this prospective study was to investigate the risk of MI in relation to bone mineral density and to determine if cardiovascular risk factors could explain this association. METHODS: Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed in 5,490 women and 1,382 men to determine total hip and femoral neck BMD (in grams per square centimeters) and estimate femoral neck volumetric BMD (in grams per cubic centimeters). During a mean follow-up time of 5.7 years, 117 women and 79 men suffered an initial MI. RESULTS: After adjustment for age and BMI, lower BMD of the femoral neck and total hip was associated with increased risk of MI for both women [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.66 per standard deviation (SD) decrease in femoral neck BMD] and men (HR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.34-2.28 per SD decrease in total hip BMD). After additional adjustment for smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes, the associations were slightly attenuated in men (HR = 1.42-1.88 in the age and BMI-adjusted model versus 1.33-1.77 in the fully adjusted model) while similar attenuations were seen in women (HR = 1.06-1.25 versus 1.05-1.22). CONCLUSION: Lower BMD was associated with an increase in MI risk for both men and women. Women had consistently lower HRs compared to men in all models. Adjusting for smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes did not distinctively weaken these associations.

The disparity between long-term survival in patients with and without diabetes following a first myocardial infarction did not change between 1989 and 2006: an analysis of 6,776 patients in the Northern Sweden MONICA Study.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Long-term survival after myocardial infarction (MI) has improved in the population, but data on diabetic patients is lacking. We analysed survival for up to 18 years after a first MI in patients with or without diabetes. METHODS: The Northern Sweden MONICA Myocardial Infarction Registry was linked to the Cause-of-Death Registry for a total of 6,776 patients, 25-64 years of age, with a first MI during 1989-2006. Prehospital deaths were included. Follow-up ended on 30 August 2008. RESULTS: Sixteen per cent had diabetes. Median follow-up time was 6.8 years, and the study included 50,667 patient-years. One third of the non-diabetic patients died vs half of the diabetic patients. Median survival for non-diabetic men was 227 months and for diabetic men 123 months. Corresponding figures for the non-diabetic and diabetic women were 222 and 81 months respectively. Men with diabetes had an age-adjusted HR for all-cause mortality of 1.56 (95% CI 1.39, 1.79) vs men without diabetes. Mortality risk was higher among diabetic women, HR 1.97 (1.62, 2.39) (diabetes × sex interaction, p = 0.03). Survival increased for three consecutive cohorts and was higher in non-diabetic patients for all durations of follow-up and in all three cohorts. The interaction of diabetes x cohort was not significant over time (p = 0.5) and HRs did not differ either. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Long-term survival after a first MI is markedly lower in diabetic patients, especially among women, over an 18-year observation time. Although survival has improved in diabetic patients, the effect of diabetes upon mortality has not diminished.

Large improvements in major cardiovascular risk factors in the population of northern Sweden: the MONICA study 1986-2009.

OBJECTIVES: the incidence of cardiovascular disease has declined rapidly in Sweden since the 1980s. We explored changes in major cardiovascular risk factors in northern Sweden between 1986 and 2009. DESIGN: since 1986, six population surveys have been carried out in northern Sweden using procedures of the World Health Organization MONICA project. The population age range was 25-64 years in 1986 and 1990, and 25-74 years from 1994. Trends were analysed using generalized linear models. RESULTS: a total of 10586 subjects were included in the surveys. Blood pressure decreased by 4.9/3.9 mmHg in women and 1.8/1.5 mmHg in men aged 25-64 years between 1986 and 2009. In men and women aged 65-74 years, the decrease was 12.6/6.1 mmHg between 1994 and 2009. From 1994, the use of blood pressure-lowering drugs increased, particularly among the older subgroup. The prevalence of smoking halved between 1986 and 2009; 11% of women and 9% of men were smokers in 2009. Cholesterol levels decreased by 0.9 mmol L(-1) in the younger age group (25-64 years), and the use of lipid-lowering agents increased from 1994. Among subjects aged 25-64 years, one in five was obese in 2009, which was twice as many as in 1986, and body mass index (BMI) increased by 1.5 kg m(-2) , corresponding to an increase in weight of 4 kg. There was no further increase in BMI from 2004. The prevalence of diabetes did not change between 1986 and 2009. The proportion that received a university education increased markedly in all age groups, especially in women, during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: significant improvements were observed in major cardiovascular risk factors in northern Sweden between 1986 and 2009.

Abdominal and gynoid adipose distribution and incident myocardial infarction in women and men.

OBJECTIVE: The relationships between objectively measured abdominal and gynoid adipose mass with the prospective risk of myocardial infarction (MI) has been scarcely investigated. We aimed to investigate the associations between fat distribution and the risk of MI. SUBJECTS: Total and regional fat mass was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in 2336 women and 922 men, of whom 104 subsequently experienced an MI during a mean follow-up time of 7.8 years. RESULTS: In women, the strongest independent predictor of MI was the ratio of abdominal to gynoid adipose mass (hazard ratio (HR)=2.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.79-3.32 per s.d. increase in adipose mass), after adjustment for age and smoking. This ratio also showed a strong association with hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance and hypertriglyceridemia (P<0.01 for all). In contrast, the ratio of gynoid to total adipose mass was associated with a reduced risk of MI (HR= 0.57, 95% CI 0.43-0.77), and reduced risk of hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance and hypertriglyceridemia (P<0.001 for all). In men, gynoid fat mass was associated with a decreased risk of MI (HR=0.69, 95% CI 0.48-0.98), and abdominal fat mass was associated with hypertriglyceridemia (P for trend 0.02). CONCLUSION: In summary, fat distribution was a strong predictor of the risk of MI in women, but not in men. These different results may be explained by the associations found between fat distribution and hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance and hypertriglyceridemia.

Consumption of filtered and boiled coffee and the risk of first acute myocardial infarction; a nested case/referent study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In northern Sweden, consumption of both filtered and boiled coffee is common. Boiled coffee, especially popular in rural areas, is known to raise blood lipids, a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction (MI). To our knowledge, only one epidemiological study, a case-control study from Sweden, has investigated boiled coffee in MI, noting an increased risk at high consumption levels in men, and no association in women. The aim of the present nested case-referent study was to relate consumption of filtered and boiled coffee to the risk of first MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study subjects were 375 cases (303 men, 72 women) and 1293 matched referents from the population-based Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study. Coffee consumption was assessed by food frequency questionnaire. Risk estimates were calculated by conditional logistic regression. A statistically significant positive association was found between consumption of filtered coffee and MI risk in men [odds ratio for consumption > or = 4 times/day versus < or = 1 time/day 1.73 (95% CI 1.05-2.84)]. In women, a similar association was observed, but for boiled coffee [odds ratio 2.51 (95% CI 1.08-5.86)]. After adjustment for current smoking, postsecondary education, hypertension, and sedentary lifestyle, the results for women were no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Consumption of filtered coffee was positively associated with the risk of a first MI in men. A similar tendency was observed for boiled coffee in women, but the result was not statistically significant in multivariate analysis. Further investigation in a larger study is warranted.

Plasma folate and total homocysteine levels are associated with the risk of myocardial infarction, independently of each other and of renal function.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between plasma folate, vitamin B12 and total homocysteine concentrations, dietary intake of folate and vitamins B12, B6 and B2, and the risk of first acute myocardial infarction (MI). DESIGN: Nested case-referent study with up to 13 years of follow-up. SETTING: The population-based Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study, with 73 879 participants at the time of case ascertainment. SUBJECTS: A total of 571 MI cases (406 men) and 1569 matched referents. Of the cases, 530 had plasma samples available, and 247 had dietary B-vitamin intake data. RESULTS: Plasma concentrations of folate were inversely associated, and total homocysteine positively associated, with the risk of MI, independently of each other and of a number of established and novel cardiovascular risk factors, including renal function [multivariate odds ratio for highest vs. lowest quintile of folate 0.52 (95% CI 0.31-0.84), P for trend = 0.036, and homocysteine 1.92 (95% CI 1.20-3.09), P for trend = 0.006]. For plasma vitamin B12 concentrations, and vitamin B12, B6 and B2 intake, no clear risk relationship was apparent. Though not statistically significant, the results for folate intake were consistent with those for plasma concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective study of a population without mandatory folic acid fortification, both folate and homocysteine were strongly associated with the risk of myocardial infarction, independently of each other and of renal function. Although randomized trials of folic acid supplementation are needed to determine causality, our findings highlight the potential importance of folate, or sources of folate, in incident cardiovascular disease.

Efficacy and safety of anticoagulant prophylaxis to prevent venous thromboembolism in acutely ill medical inpatients: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially serious complication of hospitalization and immobilization. The use of anticoagulant prophylaxis in acutely ill medical inpatients is still under debate. New data including a recent meta-analysis have recently been published. We aim at studying the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant prophylaxis in acutely ill medical inpatients, and demonstrate differences between meta-analyses due to different data extraction from the heterogeneous studies included. SUBJECTS: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from 1980 to present. Manual searches were performed regarding abstracts from major meetings. Seven blinded randomized controlled clinical trials assessing the prophylactic effect of heparin in acutely ill medical patients were identified and included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) prophylaxis prevented 48% of symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE), 48% of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (not significant) and 51% of asymptomatic DVT. A nonsignificant trend towards higher bleeding risk during LMWH prophylaxis was found. Death was not significantly affected. We compared our data with a recent meta-analysis with different study selection and data extraction and found similar results. CONCLUSIONS: As DVT and PE are manifestations of the same illness, VTE, one can argue that anticoagulant prophylaxis prevents approximately half of the expected events. Most medical inpatients have short hospital stays, and a low risk of VTE. The important task for the clinician is to identify patients with a sufficiently high risk of symptomatic VTE to warrant LMWH prophylaxis. Despite differences in study selection and data extraction, our study shows results similar to a recent meta-analysis.

Increased levels of tissue plasminogen activator antigen in essential hypertension. A population-based study in Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate components of the haemostatic and fibrinolytic system in borderline hypertensives and hypertensives, drug-treated or not, from a defined population. DESIGN AND METHODS: A randomly selected sample of the population of northern Sweden, 1558 subjects aged 25-64 years, was studied. Eight per cent of them were being treated with antihypertensive drugs (trHT). Remaining subjects were classified according to their mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Normotension, DBP < 85 mmHg, was found in 63%, borderline hypertension (bHT), DBP 85-94 mmHg, in 21% and untreated hypertension (uHT), DBP > or = 95 mmHg, in 8% of the subjects. RESULTS: Mean age increased from the normotensive group through the bHT and uHT groups to the trHT group, members of which were the oldest. Age-adjusted values for the body mass index, waist: hip ratio, serum triglyceride and Phadeseph plasma insulin levels increased with each level of hypertension. Plasma fibrinogen levels and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 activity (in men) increased stepwise from normotensives through bHT and uHT to the highest values found in the trHT group. The tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) activity in men declined strongly across the groups, trHT having the lowest fibrinolytic activity (P < 0.001). tPA antigen levels increased strongly from normotensives through bHT to uHT, but then were lower in the trHT group. Even after adjustment for possible confounders, men in the uHT group had 21% higher (P = 0.027) tPA antigen levels than did the normotensives. In bHT men, the tPA antigen and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 activities were 14 and 24% respectively, higher (P < 0.01) than those in the normotensives. CONCLUSION: Hypertension is associated with multiple metabolic and fibrinolytic disturbances that are accentuated in drug-treated hypertensives and already discernible in subjects with borderline hypertension. Decreased fibrinolysis is associated with, and possibly secondary to, metabolic disturbances linked to the insulin-resistance syndrome. The independent increase in tPA antigen in hypertensive men might indicate an endothelial dysfunction.

Endothelial haemostatic factors may be associated with mortality in patients on long-term anticoagulant treatment.

The aim of the present study was to test if long-term mortality could be predicted by endothelial derived haemostatic variables in a population with high morbidity due to thromboembolic disease. Plasma samples were drawn from 212 out-patients treated with oral anticoagulants, at the beginning of the study, and analyzed for mass concentration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and its inhibitor (PAI-1), and von Willebrand factor. In the course of 3.8-year follow-up 45 patients died, including 38 vascular deaths. We found that all-cause mortality was significantly associated with increased levels of vWF and tPA. For vascular mortality there was a significant association with all three haemostatic variables (tPA, PAI-1, vWF). For vWF there was a 3-fold increase in total and vascular mortality in the highest quartile compared to the lowest quartile. There were 27 vascular deaths in the group of patients with a tPA-value above the median compared to 11 in those with a tPA below the median. In multivariate Cox regression analysis (including: age, sex, smoking habits, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, tPA, PAI-1, and vWF), vWF and smoking were independently significantly associated with all-cause mortality, and tPA and age with vascular mortality. Endothelial derived haemostatic variables are predictors of total and vascular mortality in patients treated with oral anticoagulants.

High proinsulin concentration precedes acute myocardial infarction in a nondiabetic population.

Hyperinsulinemia has been shown to have strong and consistent associations with a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors. Yet the associations between hyperinsulinemia and coronary heart disease (CHD) have been weak, at best, and often inconsistent. Most previous studies have analyzed the insulin level using a radioimmunoassay method, which does not separate proinsulin from intact (true) insulin. New methods separating the two have demonstrated that proinsulin may be at least as strongly or even more strongly associated than intact insulin with a CHD-promoting risk factor profile. In this incident case-control study of a nondiabetic population, 67 cases of first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were compared with 127 individually age- and sex-matched controls. Blood sampling was collected prior to disease outcome. Proinsulin and intact insulin levels were measured using highly sensitive two-site sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The highest quartile of proinsulin, in contrast to intact insulin, showed a greater than threefold increase in AMI compared with the lowest quartile, with an odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 3.5 and 1.2 to 9.9, respectively. The increased risk of AMI persisted after controlling for total cholesterol, smoking status, diastolic blood pressure, and antihypertensive medication, and disappeared after additional control was used for the body mass index. High levels of proinsulin, even in a nondiabetic population, seem to be a strong and independent risk factor for AMI. The mechanism underlying the relationship may be direct via effects on fibrinolysis or, probably more plausibly, indirect, where proinsulin is a marker of an underlying metabolic disturbance.

von Willebrand factor, tissue plasminogen activator, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate predict cardiovascular death in a 10 year follow up of survivors of acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Haemostasis plays a major part in the process initiating a myocardial infarction. The impact of haemostatic variables on long term prognosis is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate von Willebrand factor (vWF), tissue plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA) and its activity before and after venous occlusion, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), dehydroepian-drosterone sulphate (DHEAS), and established clinical risk factors as long term predictors for reinfarction and mortality. PATIENTS: 123 consecutive survivors of myocardial infarction followed up for 10 years. DESIGN: Study entry took place between 1982 and 1983. Fifty seven patients died (54 of cardiovascular disease) during the mean observation time of 10 years. RESULTS: Cox's univariate regression analysis showed that cardiovascular mortality was significantly associated with age, hypertension, previous history of angina pectoris, DHEAS, mass concentration of t-PA, and vWF. These associations were significant for vWF and mass concentration of t-PA after adjusting for age and hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: A low concentration of DHEAS and high levels of the endothelially derived haemostatic variables vWF and mass concentration of t-PA are predictors of cardiovascular mortality in survivors of myocardial infarction. This association is independent of established clinical risk factors for mass concentration of t-PA and vWF.

Homozygosity for the C677-->T mutation of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and total plasma homocyst(e) ine are not associated with greater than normal risk of a first myocardial infarction in northern Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Results of several case-control studies have shown elevated total plasma homocyst(e)ine (TPH) and homozygosity for the point mutation C677-->T in the gene for 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) to be associated with a greater than normal risk of atherosclerotic vascular disease. However, there have been few epidemiologic studies and the interpretation of the results is not clear-cut. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate whether homozygosity for the point mutation C677-->T in the gene for MTHFR, and TPH are risk factors for a first myocardial infarction. DESIGN: A prospective nested case-control study in Northern Sweden. METHODS: Among more than 36000 persons screened, 78 cases satisfied the inclusion criterion of having developed, after sampling, a first myocardial infarction. For each case, two controls matched for sex and age were randomly selected. RESULTS: We found no statistically significant difference among the prevalences of the three possible MTHFR genotypes -/- (no mutation), +/+ (both alleles have the mutation), and +/- among cases and controls in univariate conditional logistic regression analysis. Mean levels of TPH in patients and controls were 12.2+/-4.9 and 12.2+/-3.5 micromol/l (means +/- SD), respectively (NS). CONCLUSIONS: In this study neither homozygosity for the point mutation C677-->T in the gene for MTHFR nor TPH was related to a greater than normal risk of a first myocardial infarction for members of the population of northern Sweden. Further research is needed in order to show whether TPH is an independent risk factor for a first myocardial infarction.

Magnesium therapy, fibrinolytic parameters and von Willebrand factor in acute myocardial infarction.

Sixty-one patients with non-thrombolytic treated acute myocardial infarction were randomised to open magnesium infusion or control. tPA activity, tPA mass, PAI-1 mass and von Willebrand factor (vWF) were measured in blood samples drawn at entrance and after on average 10 h and 18 h following inclusion in the trial. No differences for the hemostatic variables assay type were detected between the two groups. Fluctuations in the fibrinolytic parameters were maintained in the magnesium group, but blunted in the control group regarding PAI-mass and tPA-activity. This study gives no evidence that magnesium infusion in acute myocardial infarction influences fibrinolytic parameters or vWF.

Low-carbohydrate, high-protein score and mortality in a northern Swedish population-based cohort.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Long-term effects of carbohydrate-restricted diets are unclear. We examined a low-carbohydrate, high-protein (LCHP) score in relation to mortality. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This is a population-based cohort study on adults in the northern Swedish county of Västerbotten. In 37,639 men (1460 deaths) and 39,680 women (923 deaths) from the population-based Västerbotten Intervention Program, deciles of energy-adjusted carbohydrate (descending) and protein (ascending) intake were added to create an LCHP score (2-20 points). Sex-specific hazard ratios (HR) were calculated by Cox regression. RESULTS: Median intakes of carbohydrates, protein and fat in subjects with LCHP scores 2-20 ranged from 61.0% to 38.6%, 11.3% to 19.2% and 26.6% to 41.5% of total energy intake, respectively. High LCHP score (14-20 points) did not predict all-cause mortality compared with low LCHP score (2-8 points), after accounting for saturated fat intake and established risk factors (men: HR for high vs low 1.03 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88-1.20), P for continuous = 0.721; women: HR for high vs low 1.10 (95% CI 0.91-1.32), P for continuous = 0.229). For cancer and cardiovascular disease, no clear associations were found. Carbohydrate intake was inversely associated with all-cause mortality, though only statistically significant in women (multivariate HR per decile increase 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.99), P = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Our results do not support a clear, general association between LCHP score and mortality. Studies encompassing a wider range of macronutrient consumption may be necessary to detect such an association.

Dietary fibre intake and ischaemic heart disease mortality: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Heart study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence from prospective studies is consistent in showing an inverse association between dietary fibre intake and risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but whether dietary fibre from various food sources differ in their effect on IHD risk is less clear. The objective of this study was to assess the associations of total and food sources of dietary fibre with IHD mortality in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Heart study. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were 306,331 men and women from eight European countries. Dietary fibre intake was assessed using centre or country-specific diet questionnaires and calibrated using a 24-h diet recall. RESULTS: After an average follow-up of 11.5 years, there were 2381 IHD deaths among participants without cardiovascular disease at baseline. The calibrated intake of dietary fibre was inversely related with IHD mortality; each 10 g/day was associated with a 15% lower risk (relative risk (RR) 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73-0.99, P=0.031). There was no difference in the associations of the individual food sources of dietary fibre with the risk of IHD mortality; RR for each 5 g/day higher cereal fibre intake was 0.91 (CI: 0.82-1.01), RR for each 2.5 g/day fruit fibre intake was 0.94 (CI: 0.88-1.01) and RR for each 2.5 g/day vegetable fibre intake was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.76-1.07). CONCLUSION: A higher consumption of dietary fibre is associated with a lower risk of fatal IHD with no clear difference in the association with IHD for fibre from cereals, fruits or vegetables.