Dietary fat intake and hemostasis among participants in the 1992 FINRISK Hemostasis Survey

Background and Aim: Previous research has suggested that the amount and type of dietary fat have an effect on blood coagulability, but population-based studies are still scarce. There is, however, increasing evidence that hemostasis plays an important role in cardiovascular-disease risk and the examination of the effect of dietary fat on hemostasis is therefore potentially of considerable public health significance. Methods and Results: As a part of the 1992 FINRISK Hemostasis Survey, random samples of 2,326 individuals aged 45-64 years, from three geographical areas of Finland, had both food frequency and hemostalic data collected. A subsample of 740 individuals also had 3-day food records collected. The main hemostatic parameters and related risk factors determined were fibrinogen, factor VII coagulant activity (factor VII:C), factor VII antigen (factor VII:Ag), plasminogen, lipoprotein(a) and triglycerides. After adjustment for age and gender, factor VII:C and plasminogen both increased with fat on bread and sausage intake; fibrinogen increased directly with sausage, egg, and milk fat consumption; and triglycerides increased directly with sausage intake. Lipoprotein(a) was not associated with any food item. Positive associations of hemostatic factors with most highfat foods were found, although an inverse association was observed for high-fat cheese and meat. Fatty acid groups estimated from the three-day food records were only weakly and inconsistently associated with the hemostatic factors measured. Conclusions: For this randomly-selected Finnish population, fatty food consumption was generally associated with a procoagulalive hemostatic profile. Data on the associations of fatty acid groups with hemostatic factors were inconclusive, however, suggesting that three-day food records may not be appropriate to determine long-term associations of diet with hemostasis.