Exclusive olive oil consumption has a protective effect on coronary artery disease; overview of the THISEAS study.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the current report are to present the demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics/biochemical indices and lifestyle habits of the population and to explore the potential association of exclusive olive oil consumption, in relation to lifestyle factors, with coronary artery disease risk. DESIGN: Demographic, lifestyle, dietary and biochemical variables were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was performed in order to estimate the relative risks of developing coronary artery disease. SETTING: The Hellenic study of Interactions between Single nucleotide polymorphisms and Eating in Atherosclerosis Susceptibility (THISEAS), a medical centre-based case-control study conducted in Greek adults. SUBJECTS: We consecutively enrolled 1221 adult patients with coronary artery disease and 1344 adult controls. RESULTS: A higher prevalence of the conventional established risk factors was observed in cases than in controls. Physical activity level was higher in controls (1·4 (sd 0·2) than in cases (1·3 (sd 0·3); P<0·001). Regarding current and ex-smokers, the case group reported almost double the pack-years of the control group (54·6 (sd 42·8) v. 28·3 (sd 26·3), respectively; P<0·001). Exclusive olive oil consumption was associated with 37 % lower likelihood of developing coronary artery disease, even after taking into account adherence to the Mediterranean diet (OR=0·63; 95 % CI 0·42, 0·93; P=0·02). CONCLUSIONS: Exclusive olive oil consumption was associated with lower risk of coronary artery disease, even after adjusting for adoption of an overall healthy dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean diet.

Fibrinogen beta variants confer protection against coronary artery disease in a Greek case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Although plasma fibrinogen levels are related to cardiovascular risk, data regarding the role of fibrinogen genetic variation in myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary artery disease (CAD) etiology remain inconsistent. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of fibrinogen A (FGA), fibrinogen B (FGB) and fibrinogen G (FGG) gene SNPs and haplotypes on susceptibility to CAD in a homogeneous Greek population. METHODS: We genotyped for rs2070022, rs2070016, rs2070006 in FGA gene, the rs7673587, rs1800789, rs1800790, rs1800788, rs1800787, rs4681 and rs4220 in FGB gene and for the rs1118823, rs1800792 and rs2066865 SNPs in FGG gene applying an arrayed primer extension-based genotyping method (APEX-2) in a sample of CAD patients (n = 305) and controls (n = 305). Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), before and after adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS: None of the FGA and FGG SNPs and FGA, FGB, FGG and FGA-FGG haplotypes was associated with disease occurrence after adjustment. Nevertheless, rs1800787 and rs1800789 SNPs in FGB gene seem to decrease the risk of CAD, even after adjustment for potential confounders (OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.19-0.90, p = 0.026 and OR = 0.44, 95%CI:0.21-0.94, p = 0.039, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: FGA and FGG SNPs as well as FGA, FGB, FGG and FGA-FGG haplotypes do not seem to be important contributors to CAD occurrence in our sample. On the contrary, FGB rs1800787 and rs1800789 SNPs seem to confer protection to disease onset lowering the risk by about 50% in homozygotes for the minor alleles.

ROS1 Asp2213Asn polymorphism is not associated with coronary artery disease in a Greek case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Rs619203 (Cys2229Ser) and rs529038 (Asp2213Asn) polymorphisms in the ROS1 gene have been studied in relation to myocardial infarction (MI) yielding inconsistent results. We investigated the role of ROS1 rs529038 polymorphism in coronary artery disease (CAD) in Greeks using a case-control study. METHODS: Genotyping for rs529038 polymorphism was performed using a multiplex PCR technique in patients with CAD (n=294) and controls (n=311). Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis did not show any statistically significant effect of ROS1 polymorphism in the occurrence of CAD (AG vs. AA, OR: 1.08, p=0.635; GG vs. AA, OR: 0.62, p=0.220). Adjustment for confounding factors gave similar results, irrespective of the type of disease (i.e., stable coronary artery disease vs. acute coronary syndrome). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that ROS1 rs529038 polymorphism is an important contributing factor in the etiology of CAD in the Greek population.

The Pro12Ala polymorphism in PPARgamma2 gene affects lipid parameters in Greek primary school children: A case of gene-to-gender interaction.

BACKGROUND: In the present study we sought to evaluate the impact of the PPAR-gamma2 Pro12Ala polymorphism on blood lipid levels of primary school children. METHODS: 81 male and 92 female schoolchildren were genotyped. Biochemical, anthropometric, and lifestyle variables were assessed. RESULTS: 14.1% females and 14.8% males were heterozygotes, while the rest of the subjects were homozygotes for the Pro allele. A significant interaction between the PPARgamma-2 gene and gender on blood lipid levels was detected. In particular, Pro/Pro females exhibited higher values of total cholesterol (194 +/- 32 vs 180 +/- 28 mg/dL, P = 0.06) and triglycerides (94 +/- 31 vs 77 +/- 11 mg/dL, P = 0.045) compared to Pro/Ala individuals. The gene-to-gender interaction term was highly significant (P < 0.001). On the other hand, Pro/Pro males showed higher values of HDL cholesterol (47 +/- 8 vs 43 +/- 9 mg/dL, P = 0.001), lower total cholesterol/HDL ratio (4.04 +/- 0.59 vs 4.45 +/- 0.61, P = 0.031), lower values of apoB (59.8 +/- 11.3 vs 66.8 +/- 6.6 mg/dL, P = 0.007) and lower values of apoB/apoA1 ratio (0.41 +/- 0.09 vs 0.48 +/- 0.08, P = 0.019) compared with Pro/Ala. Even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI), total energy intake, total fat intake and saturated fat intake, differences in total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and the apoB/apoA1 ratios remained significant. Regarding females, no differences were observed among genotypes concerning total cholesterol/HDL levels (P for gene-to-gender interaction = 0.001) and the apoB/apoA1 levels (P for gene-to-gender interaction = 0.029). CONCLUSION: We show for the first time a gene-to-gender interaction on total cholesterol/HDL and apoB/apoA1 ratios, in male schoolchildren genotyped for PPAR-gamma2 Pro12Ala.

The role of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in the bone mineral density of Greek postmenopausal women with low calcium intake.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of common vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms on the bone mineral density (BMD) of Greek postmenopausal women. Healthy postmenopausal women (n=578) were recruited for the study. The BMD of the lumbar spine and hip was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry with the Lunar DPX-MD device. Assessment of dietary calcium intake was performed with multiple 24-h recalls. Genotyping was performed for the BsmI, TaqI and Cdx-2 polymorphisms of the VDR gene. The selected polymorphisms were not associated with BMD, osteoporosis or osteoporotic fractures. Stratification by calcium intake revealed that in the low calcium intake group (<680 mg/day), all polymorphisms were associated with the BMD of the lumbar spine (P<.05). After adjustment for potential covariates, BsmI and TaqI polymorphisms were associated with the presence of osteoporosis (P<.05), while the presence of the minor A allele of Cdx-2 polymorphism was associated with a lower spine BMD (P=.025). In the higher calcium intake group (>680 mg/day), no significant differences were observed within the genotypes for all polymorphisms. The VDR gene is shown to affect BMD in women with low calcium intake, while its effect is masked in women with higher calcium intake. This result underlines the significance of adequate calcium intake in postmenopausal women, given that it exerts a positive effect on BMD even in the presence of negative genetic predisposition.

Association of MT1A haplotype with cardiovascular disease and antioxidant enzyme defense in elderly Greek population: comparison with an Italian cohort.

Metallothioneins (MT), the antioxidant zinc-binding proteins, seem to mediate cardioprotection. It has been postulated that zinc homeostasis and MT function may be altered, as a consequence of oxidative stress, in cardiovascular disease (CVD), with a potential implication of MT genetic polymorphisms. The present study explores the role of +647A/C and +1245A/G MT1A polymorphisms on the susceptibility to CVD, zinc status and enzyme antioxidant activity, in the Greek and Italian populations. The country selection was based on the lower zinc status and the reduced zinc dietary intake in Greece than in Italy despite the similar Mediterranean dietary pattern. A total of 464 old, healthy control subjects and 369 old CVD patients more than 70 years of age were studied. Logistic regression model indicated that +1245 MT1A G+ genotype significantly increased the risk of CVD in Greece (34.4% vs. 23.2%; odds ratio=1.88, 95% confidence interval=1.14-3.08; P=.013) but not in Italy. Haplotype analysis showed an increment of CG haplotype frequency in CVD Greek patients (17.4% vs. 10.6%, P<.05). Differential country-related frequency distribution was also recorded. Applying a multivariate regression model, +647/+1245 MT1A haplotype was associated with a modulation of enzyme antioxidant activities in both countries. Decreased plasma zinc and reduced intracellular Zn release, as well as increased enzyme antioxidant activity, were more apparent in Greek healthy donors than in Italy. In conclusion, +1245 MT1A polymorphism and +647/+1245 MT1A haplotype are implicated in CVD in Greece but not in Italy, suggesting a role of gene-diet interaction in the disease predisposition.