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Free Fat Acids Independently Associated With Cardiovascular Mortality

Posted: Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Levels of free fat acids are associated with mortality in patients with coronary artery disease.

Senior investigator Dr. Winfried Maerz, of the Medical University of Graz states that "Free fat acids are an independent predictor of cardiovascular death in subjects at intermediate risk.”

Dr. Maerz and colleagues came to this conclusion after examining data from 3315 Caucasian subjects in an ongoing study of coronary artery disease. The patients were followed for a median of 5.38 years and all subjects underwent coronary angiography at baseline.

At follow-up, 513 patients had died, the researchers report in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Compared with subjects with the lowest levels of free fat acids, those with the highest levels had an adjusted hazard ratio for death from any cause of 1.58 and for death from cardiovascular causes of 1.83.

In the more than 2500 subjects with stable or unstable cardiovascular disease, the predictive value of free fat acids was similar to that in the entire cohort. However, in the participants without cardiovascular disease, the association did not reach significance.

Free fat acids were higher in subjects with unstable cardiovascular disease and increased with the severity of heart failure.

"Although our study does not ultimately prove causality," concluded Dr. Maerz, "we suggest that looking at free fatty acids may hold a great potential for stratification and even for the treatment of coronary heart disease."

Source: Diabetes In Control: J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006;91:2542-2547