Journal Home
Search for

Articles in Press

Return to articles in press list

Glycemic index, glycemic load, and the risk of acute myocardial infarction in Finnish men: The Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study

J. MursuaCorresponding Author Informationemail address, J.K. Virtanena, T.H. Rissanenb, T.-P. Tuomainenab, I. Nykänenb, J.A. Laukkanenad, R. Kortelainenb, S. Voutilainenac

Received 5 May 2009; received in revised form 23 June 2009; accepted 4 August 2009. published online 16 October 2009.
Corrected Proof

Abstract 

Background and aim

The role of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) in coronary heart disease (CHD) is unclear. Our aim was to study the association between the dietary GI and GL and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods and results

The study population consisted of 1981 Finnish men from the prospective population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study, aged 42–60 years and free of CHD at baseline. During an average follow-up time of 16.1 years, 376 new AMI events occurred. In multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, the relative risk (RR) for AMI in the highest quartile of GI was 1.25 (95% CI: 0.92–1.69; P for trend=0.08) and for GL 1.11 (95% CI: 0.79–1.57; P for trend=0.21) when compared with the lowest quartile. For overweight (BMI27.5kg/m2) men, the multivariable-adjusted RR for AMI in the highest compared to the lowest tertile of GI and GL were 1.58 (95% CI: 1.03–2.43; P for trend=0.04, P for interaction=0.01) and 2.05 (95% CI: 1.30–3.23; P for trend=0.002, P for interaction=0.002), respectively. For physically less active men; energy expenditure for leisure-time physical activity <50kcal/d, the RR for AMI was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.07–2.76; P for trend=0.04, P for interaction 0.80) with higher GL.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that both high dietary GI and GL are associated with increased risk of AMI among overweight and GL possibly among less physically active men.

a Research Institute of Public Health, School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland

b Department of Public Health, School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

c Unit of Clinical Nutrition, School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

d Department of Medicine, Lapland Central Hospital, Rovaniemi, Finland

Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author.

 This study was partially supported by personal grants from the Danisco Research Foundation (JM, SV). The funding agency did not play a role in the conception, design or conduct of the study, collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, and approval of the manuscript.

PII: S0939-4753(09)00191-4

doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2009.08.001