TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of CAD cases and controls in NHS II and HPFS (n = 1216)1
| NHS II | HPFS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | Cases (n = 187) | Controls (n = 187) | P value | Cases (n = 421) | Controls (n = 421) | P value |
| Demographics and lifestyle factors | ||||||
| Age at blood draw, y | 45.7 (4.1) | 45.7 (4.2) | 0.97 | 63.7 (8.7) | 63.6 (8.7) | 0.92 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 27.9 (6.9) | 25.4 (5.0) | <0.001 | 26.1 (3.2) | 25.6 (3.2) | 0.03 |
| Physical activity, METs-h/wk | 9.6 (4.2, 20.9) | 11.7 (4.0, 22.9) | 0.23 | 25.6 (11.3, 44.7) | 28.0 (13.1, 53.8) | 0.06 |
| Smoking status, % | 0.54 | 0.65 | ||||
| Current smoker | 23.0 | 19.3 | 8.1 | 6.4 | ||
| Former smoker | 19.3 | 23.0 | 48.6 | 49.3 | ||
| Never smoker | 57.7 | 57.7 | 43.3 | 44.3 | ||
| Menopause status, yes, % | 34.8 | 36.9 | 0.67 | — | — | — |
| Family history of MI, % | 33.2 | 20.9 | 0.007 | 42.8 | 31.1 | <0.001 |
| Hypercholesterolemia, % | 38.0 | 26.7 | 0.02 | 50.4 | 40.4 | 0.004 |
| Hypertension, % | 23.0 | 11.2 | 0.003 | 38.2 | 29.7 | 0.009 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 6.4 | 0.5 | 0.002 | 8.6 | 4.8 | 0.03 |
| Aspirin use, % | 29.4 | 24.6 | 0.29 | 25.9 | 22.8 | 0.30 |
| Dietary factors | ||||||
| Total energy, kcal/d | 1859.6 (522.2) | 1748.7 (451.9) | 0.03 | 2004.7 (529.6) | 2012.2 (522.2) | 0.84 |
| Alcohol, g/d | 0.6 (0.0, 2.8) | 1.0 (0.0, 4.9) | 0.13 | 4.6 (1.0, 13.7) | 8.4 (1.9, 19.0) | <0.001 |
| Fruits, serving/d | 1.8 (1.2) | 1.7 (1.2) | 0.72 | 2.6 (1.4) | 2.6 (1.2) | 0.94 |
| Vegetable, serving/d | 2.7 (1.4) | 2.5 (1.2) | 0.34 | 3.3 (1.6) | 3.4 (1.5) | 0.30 |
| Red meats, serving/d | 0.9 (0.6) | 0.7 (0.4) | <0.001 | 1.2 (0.7) | 1.1 (0. 7) | 0.24 |
| Fish, serving/d | 0.3 (0.2) | 0.2 (0.1) | 0.02 | 0.3 (0.2) | 0.3 (0.2) | 0.65 |
| Egg, serving/d | 0.2 (0.2) | 0.1 (0.1) | 0.02 | 0.3 (0.2) | 0.3 (0.3) | 0.20 |
| Whole grains, g/d | 19.9 (11.8) | 21.5 (16.1) | 0.26 | 26.9 (17.3) | 26.9 (15.7) | 0.99 |
| Alternate healthy eating index | 47.8 (9.6) | 49.3 (9.8) | 0.14 | 41.3 (8.9) | 42.0 (8.6) | 0.24 |
| Healthful plant-based diet index | 53.6 (7.6) | 54.9 (7.3) | 0.07 | 55.0 (7.3) | 55.4 (7.1) | 0.43 |
| Cardiovascular risk markers* | ||||||
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 210.1 (41.3) | 202.2 (33.5) | 0.04 | 210.2 (39.9) | 201.4 (34.4) | 0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 151.0 (37.9) | 144.7 (30.4) | 0.08 | 136.0 (34.4) | 127.7 (30.7) | <0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 28.6 (11.4) | 33.3 (10.1) | <0.001 | 42.6 (11.3) | 47.4 (13.6) | <0.001 |
| Triglyceride, mg/dL | 152.3 (99.9) | 120.5 (68.7) | <0.001 | 158.3 (89.7) | 133.3 (75.0) | <0.001 |
| hsCRP, mg/L | 2.7 (1.0, 5.8) | 1.6 (0.5, 3.8) | 0.002 | 1.4 (0.6, 2.7) | 1.0 (0.5, 2.1) | 0.002 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.4 (1.1) | 5.1 (0.3) | <0.001 | 5.8 (1.0) | 5.6 (0.7) | 0.001 |
| Gut microbiota–related metabolites | ||||||
| TMAO, μM | 3.8 (2.6, 6.4) | 3.7 (2.7, 5.9) | 0.55 | 4.0 (2.6, 6.3) | 3.5 (2.4, 5.6) | 0.05 |
| L-carnitine, μM | 42.6 (10.0) | 41.5 (8.8) | 0.24 | 42.6 (12.6) | 42.6 (17.5) | 0.94 |
| Choline, μM | 16.0 (4.3) | 15.7 (5.9) | 0.54 | 22.5 (7.3) | 22.2 (8.1) | 0.67 |
| Enterolactone, nM | 2.9 (1.0, 6.8) | 4.7 (2.1, 10.2) | 0.003 | 9.2 (3.6, 18.9) | 9.9 (4.5, 19.2) | 0.69 |
1Controls were matched in a 1:1 ratio to cases for age at blood sample collection, sex, month of sample collection, and smoking status. Data are means (SDs), medians (IQRs), or percentage (%). *In the controls, 2 participants had missing values of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, and CRP, and 10 participants had missing value of HbA1c. Abbreviations: CAD, coronary artery disease; CRP, C-reactive protein; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HPFS, Health Professionals Follow-Up Study; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; MET, metabolic equivalents; MI, myocardial infarction; NHSII, Nurses’ Health Study II; TMAO, trimethylamine-N-oxide.