Epidemiology
Dietary fat intake does not modify the link between Lp(a) and cardiovascular death in 22,805 US adults from ARIC and NHANES (JRSM Cardiovasc Dis 2024)
Original title: The impact of baseline dietary fatty acid intake on the association between lipoprotein(a) and mortality in two US cohorts
Using the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and NHANES III cohorts (n=22,805, average age 51.3 years, 55.4% women), the authors tested whether baseline dietary fat intake modifies the association between Lp(a) and cardiovascular death. Lp(a) >=30 mg/dL was associated with cardiovascular death in both cohorts (ARIC hazard ratio 1.36, P=0.001; NHANES hazard ratio 1.31, P=0.03). In multivariate analysis, no categorical or individual dietary fatty acid modified this association. The findings suggest that dietary fat composition does not blunt or amplify the cardiovascular risk conferred by elevated Lp(a), reinforcing the need for Lp(a)-specific interventions rather than dietary approaches.
Original abstract
Background: Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is an established casual risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It remains unknown whether dietary fat modifies the association of Lp(a) with cardiovascular death.
Aim: To understand if dietary fat modifies the association between Lp(a) and cardiovascular death.
Methods: We utilized the Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III cohorts and used multivariate cox proportional hazard modeling to test the association between Lp(a), dietary fats, and cardiovascular death.
Results: The sample (n = 22,805) had average age 51.3 years and was mostly female (55.4%). Lp(a) ≥ 30 mg/dL was associated with CV death in both ARIC (1.36, p = 0.001) and NHANES (1.31, p = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, no categorical or individual fatty acids modified the association between Lp(a) and CV death.
Conclusion: There was no evidence that baseline dietary fat intake modified the association between Lp(a) and CV death.
Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.