Chocolate consumption is inversely associated with calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries: the NHLBI Family Heart Study
- PMID: 20655129
- PMCID: PMC3005078
- DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2010.06.011
Chocolate consumption is inversely associated with calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries: the NHLBI Family Heart Study
Abstract
Background & aims: While a diet rich in anti-oxidant has been favorably associated with coronary disease and hypertension, limited data have evaluated the influence of such diet on subclinical disease. Thus, we sought to examine whether chocolate consumption is associated with calcified atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries (CAC).
Methods: In a cross-sectional design, we studied 2217 participants of the NHLBI Family Heart Study. Chocolate consumption was assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and CAC was measured by cardiac CT. We defined prevalent CAC using an Agatston score of at least 100 and fitted generalized estimating equations to calculate prevalence odds ratios of CAC.
Results: There was an inverse association between frequency of chocolate consumption and prevalent CAC. Odds ratios (95% CI) for CAC were 1.0 (reference), 0.94 (0.66-1.35), 0.78 (0.53-1.13), and 0.68 (0.48-0.97) for chocolate consumption of 0, 1-3 times per month, once per week, and 2+ times per week, respectively (p for trend 0.022), adjusting for age, sex, energy intake, waist-hip ratio, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, ratio of total-to-HDL-cholesterol, non-chocolate candy, and diabetes mellitus. Controlling for additional confounders did not alter the findings. Exclusion of subjects with coronary heart disease or diabetes mellitus did not materially change the odds ratio estimates but did modestly decrease the overall significance (p = 0.07).
Conclusions: These data suggest that chocolate consumption might be inversely associated with prevalent CAC.
Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Conflict of interest statement
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Grant support
- U01 HL056567-04/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL56565/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- P30 ES010126/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States
- K01 HL070444-06/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL56564/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL056563-04/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL056567/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL56566/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL56569/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL056569-04/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL056566-04/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL056568-04/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL56568/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- K01 HL070444/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL56567/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL056564-04/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- K01-HL70444/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL56563/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- U01 HL056565-04/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States
- R01 HL117078/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States