Adipose tissue fatty acids present in dairy fat and risk of stroke: the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort

• Published in: European journal of nutrition 2019-03, Vol.58 (2), p.529-539
• Main Authors: Laursen, Anne Sofie Dam, Dahm, Christina Catherine, Johnsen, Søren Paaske, Schmidt, Erik Berg, Overvad, Kim, Jakobsen, Marianne Uhre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Cancer; Case-Control Studies; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Dairy products; Dairy Products - analysis; Dairy Products - statistics & numerical data; Denmark - epidemiology; Diet - methods; Dietary Fats - analysis; Dietary Fats - metabolism; Fatty acid composition; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - analysis; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Female; Gas chromatography; Hemorrhage; Humans; Ischemia; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - epidemiology; Nutrition; Original Contribution; Risk Factors; Stroke; Stroke - epidemiology; Stroke - metabolism; Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-018-1608-2

Purpose The role of dairy fat for the risk of stroke is not yet clear. Adipose tissue reflects long-term fatty acid intake and metabolism. We, therefore, investigated associations for percentages of adipose tissue fatty acids, for which dairy products are a major source (12:0, 14:0, 14:1 cis -9, 15:0, 17:0, 18:1 trans -11 and 18:2 cis -9, trans -11), with incident total stroke and stroke subtypes. Methods We conducted a case–cohort study within the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort, including all incident stroke cases ( n  = 2108) and a random sample of the total cohort ( n  = 3186). The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue biopsies was determined by gas chromatography and specific fatty acids were expressed as percentage of total fatty acids. Stroke cases were identified in the Danish National Patient Registry and the diagnoses were individually verified. Results We recorded 2108 stroke cases of which 1745 were ischemic, 249 were intracerebral hemorrhages and 102 were subarachnoid hemorrhages. We observed a lower rate of ischemic stroke for a higher adipose tissue percentage of 12:0, 14:0, 15:0, 17:0, 18:1 trans -11 and 18:2 cis -9, trans -11. Adipose tissue percentages of 15:0 and 18:1 trans -11 were also inversely associated with intracerebral hemorrhage, whereas no associations between the adipose tissue fatty acids and subarachnoid hemorrhage were observed. No associations between 14:1 cis -9 and ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were found. Conclusions Our results suggest that a larger percentage in adipose tissue of fatty acids for which dairy products are a major source is associated with a lower rate of ischemic stroke.