Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 2344 patients of the Alpha Omega Trial by treatment group
| Variables | Placebo (n=593) | ALA (n=601) | EPA-DHA (n=576) | EPA-DHA plus ALA (n=574) | P Valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | 68.7±5.3 | 69.5±5.6 | 69.0±5.4 | 69.0±5.5 | 0.71 |
| ≥70 yr old, no. (%) | 243 (41) | 259 (42) | 245 (43) | 239 (40) | 0.89 |
| Men, no. (%) | 491 (82.8) | 471 (78.4) | 458 (79.5) | 470 (81.9) | 0.19 |
| Ethnicity (white), no. (%) | 587 (99.0) | 593 (98.7) | 569 (98.8) | 570 (99.3) | 0.89 |
| Time since myocardial infarction, years | 4.6±3.4 | 4.6±3.2 | 4.5±3.2 | 4.3±2.9 | 0.47 |
| Self-reported history of stroke, no. (%) | 40/589 (6.8) | 38/596 (6.4) | 40/572 (7.0) | 35/572 (6.1) | 0.99 |
| Diabetes,b no. (%) | 113 (19) | 120 (20) | 99 (17) | 106 (19) | 0.67 |
| Antidiabetic drugs, no. (%) | 77 (13.0) | 92 (15.3) | 69 (12.0) | 74 (12.9) | 0.38 |
| Body mass index,c kg/m2 | 27.7±3.7 | 27.8±3.6 | 27.6±3.7 | 27.6±3.6 | 0.89 |
| ≥30 kg/m2, no. (%) | 133 (22.5) | 138 (23.0) | 141 (24.5) | 119 (20.8) | 0.50 |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | 145±22 | 143±21 | 143±21 | 143±21 | 0.26 |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg | 82±11 | 81±11 | 82±11 | 81±11 | 0.67 |
| Use of cardiovascular medication,d no. (%) | |||||
| Antithrombotic agents | 583 (98) | 588 (98) | 566 (97) | 553 (96) | 0.09 |
| BP-lowering drugs | 514 (86.7) | 519 (86.4) | 511 (88.7) | 495 (86.2) | 0.56 |
| ACE inhibitor and/or angiotensin blocker | 327 (55.1) | 330 (54.9) | 301 (52.3) | 312 (54.4) | 0.75 |
| β-Blockers | 391 (65.9) | 380 (63.2) | 391 (67.9) | 365 (63.6) | 0.30 |
| Diuretics | 135 (22.8) | 121 (20.1) | 113 (19.6) | 117 (20.4) | 0.55 |
| Lipid-modifying drugs | 503 (84.8) | 518 (86.2) | 491 (85.2) | 501 (87.3) | 0.63 |
| Current smoker, no. (%) | 91 (15.3) | 103 (17.1) | 90 (15.6) | 77 (13.4) | 0.37 |
| Alcohol use ≥1 glass/wk, no. (%) | 447/593 (75.4) | 445/600 (74.2) | 446/576 (77.4) | 442/572 (77.3) | 0.50 |
| Fish intake (<5 g/d),e no. (%) | 119/551 (21.6) | 97/559 (17.4) | 114/532 (21.4) | 117/534 (21.9) | 0.19 |
| Animal protein intake, g/d | 43±15 | 42±15 | 43±15 | 43±15 | 0.69 |
| Serum cystatin C, mg/L | 0.97±0.25 | 0.97±0.25 | 0.97±0.23 | 0.98±0.25 | 0.68 |
| Serum creatinine,f mg/dl | 1.01±0.33 | 1.01±0.31 | 1.02±0.31 | 1.04±0.37 | 0.41 |
| Creatinine–cystatin C-based eGFR,g ml/min per 1.73 m2 | 79.2±18.4 | 79.0±19.2 | 78.2±18.5 | 77.6±18.5 | 0.44 |
| Plasma glucose,h mg/dl | 110±37 | 110±36 | 108±35 | 109±35 | 0.30 |
| Total cholesterol,i mg/dl | 188±36 | 186±37 | 188±36 | 186±35 | 0.56 |
| LDL, mg/dl | 106±32 | 105±32 | 107±31 | 105±29 | 0.57 |
| HDL, mg/dl | 48±12 | 48±12 | 49±14 | 49±12 | 0.26 |
| Triglycerides,j mg/dl | 149 (109–211) | 143 (110–205) | 145 (109–195) | 140 (105–198) | 0.21 |
| High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, mg/L | 1.7 (0.8–3.6) | 1.8 (0.9–3.8) | 1.5 (0.8–3.3) | 1.7 (0.8–3.8) | 0.94 |
| Higher education,k no. (%) | 82 (13.9) | 55 (9.2) | 72 (12.6) | 79 (13.7) | 0.31 |
| Physically active (≥3 METs >5 d/wk),l no. (%) | 128 (21.7) | 130 (21.7) | 125 (21.8) | 138 (24.2) | 0.65 |
Numbers may not total to the column total because of missing values for some variables. Data are reported as mean±SD or median (interquartile range). ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; MET, metabolic equivalent task; ALA, α-linolenic acid; EPA-DHA, eicosapentaenoic acid–docosahexaenoic acid.
Chi-squared tests and ANOVA were used to determine statistical significance.
Diabetes was considered to be present if a patient reported having received the diagnosis from a physician, was taking antidiabetic drugs, or had an elevated plasma glucose level (≥126 mg/dl in the case of patients who had fasted >4 hours or ≥200 mg/dl in the case of nonfasting patients).
Body mass index was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
Antithrombotic agents: Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC) code B01; BP-lowering drugs: ATC codes C02, C03, C07, C08, and C09; lipid-modifying drugs: ATC code C10.
Fish intake <5 g/d equals intake of one fish per month.
To convert the values for creatinine to micromoles per liter, multiply by 88.40.
Combined creatinine–cystatin C eGFR on the basis of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation of 2012 (15).
To convert the values for glucose to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.05551.
To convert the values for cholesterol to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.02586.
To convert the values for triglycerides to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.01129.
Defined as higher vocational education or university.
Defined as three or more METs during >5 d/wk.