Publications by authors named "Jyrki Virtanen"

Aims/hypothesis: Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes, but evidence from randomised trials on the benefits of vitamin D supplementation is limited, especially for average-risk populations. The Finnish Vitamin D Trial (FIND) investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation at two different doses on the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a generally healthy older adult population.

Methods: FIND was a 5 year randomised placebo-controlled, parallel-arm trial among 2271 male and female participants aged ≥60 years and ≥65 years, respectively, from a general Finnish population who were free of CVD or cancer and did not use diabetes medications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

-6 PUFA, especially linoleic acid (LA) but also arachidonic acid (AA), have been inversely associated with CHD. However, mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully known. We investigated the associations of the serum concentrations of total -6 PUFA, LA, AA, -linolenic acid (GLA) and dihomo--linolenic acid (DGLA), with the odds of myocardial ischaemia during exercise, a predictor of future cardiac events.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to understand how vitamin D affects the immune system by supplementing 25 healthy individuals with a high dose of vitamin D (80,000 IU) and analyzing their blood.
  • Researchers found 452 genes in the participants' white blood cells that significantly responded to vitamin D, with 138 confirmed as direct targets of the active form of vitamin D.
  • The study categorized participants into high, mid, and low responders based on their genetic expression changes, identifying HLA-C as a key gene associated with varying vitamin D responsiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The 6th International Conference, "Controversies in Vitamin D," was convened to discuss controversial topics, such as vitamin D metabolism, assessment, actions, and supplementation. Novel insights into vitamin D mechanisms of action suggest links with conditions that do not depend only on reduced solar exposure or diet intake and that can be detected with distinctive noncanonical vitamin D metabolites. Optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels remain debated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Meat is not only a source of several nutrients but also a proposed risk factor for several non-communicable diseases. Here, we describe the totality of evidence for the role of meat intake for chronic disease outcomes, discuss potential mechanistic pathways, knowledge gaps, and limitations of the literature. Use of the scoping review is based on a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis on the association between poultry intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), qualified SRs (as defined in the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 project) on meat intake and cancer by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and a systematic literature search of SRs and meta-analyses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and cancer are a significant public health burden in the Nordic and Baltic countries. High intake of eggs, mainly due to its high cholesterol content, has been suggested to have adverse health effects. The purpose of this scoping review is to describe the evidence related to the impact of egg intake on health.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the relationship between omega-3 PUFAs and stroke risk across 29 global cohorts, focusing on total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic strokes.
  • Results showed that higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid reduced the incidence of total and ischemic strokes by 17% and 18%, respectively, while docosahexaenoic acid also lowered these risks by 12% and 14%.
  • The findings indicate that although higher omega-3 PUFA levels are linked to reduced total and ischemic stroke risks, there is no effect on hemorrhagic strokes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: It is unknown whether dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) modifies the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with a family history of CVD. We assessed interactions between biomarkers of low PUFA intake and a family history in relation to long-term CVD risk in a large consortium.

Methods: Blood and tissue PUFA data from 40 885 CVD-free adults were assessed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objectives: Average testosterone concentrations in men have declined over the last few decades. The reasons for this are not fully known, but changes in dietary fat quality have been suggested to have a role. This study aimed to investigate the associations of different dietary fatty acids with serum androgen concentrations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The presence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an over 2-fold increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and cardiovascular mortality. Long chain n-6 PUFAs have been suggested to have a variety of beneficial biologic effects that may reduce AF development; however, prior studies evaluating this relationship are limited.

Objectives: We prospectively evaluated the association between circulating levels of linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA) with incident AF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bariatric surgery is associated with a postoperative reduction of 25(OH) vitamin D levels (25(OH)D) and with skeletal complications. Currently, guidelines for 25(OH)D assessment and vitamin D supplementation in bariatric patients, pre- and post-surgery, are still lacking. The aim of this work is to analyse systematically the published experience on 25(OH)D status and vitamin D supplementation, pre- and post-surgery, and to propose, on this basis, recommendations for management.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and atrial fibrillation (AF) remains controversial.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prospective associations of blood or adipose tissue levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with incident AF.

Methods: We used participant-level data from a global consortium of 17 prospective cohort studies, each with baseline data on blood or adipose tissue omega-3 fatty acid levels and AF outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Atrial fibrillation is a common cardiac arrhythmia with high morbidity risk. Observational studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher atrial fibrillation risk but there is limited evidence whether vitamin D supplementation could affect the risk. In these post hoc analyses from the Finnish Vitamin D Trial, we compared the incidence of atrial fibrillation with 5-year supplementation of vitamin D (1600 IU/d or 3200 IU/d) vs placebo.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on cancer mortality in the general population and on prognosis in cancer patients, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) and individual patient data (IPD) was conducted. Overall, 14 RCTs with a total of 104,727 participants (2015 cancer deaths) were identified and 7 RCTs, including 90 % of all study participants (n = 94,068), could be included in the IPD meta-analyses. The main meta-analysis of the 14 RCTs yielded a statistically non-significant reduction in cancer mortality by 6 % (risk ratio (RR) [95%-confidence interval (95%CI)]: 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Results regarding the epidemiological association of vitamin D with lung (LCA) and prostate cancer (PCA) are controversial. This study tested whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations have interactive epidemiological associations with smoking, the number-one risk factor for LCA, and age, the number-one risk factor for PCA. Also, this study investigated whether the associations of 25(OH)D, smoking, age, alcohol consumption, body mass index, diet (the healthy Nordic diet score), and physical activity with incident LCA and PCA are multiplicative or additive.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study evaluated how different omega-3 fatty acids, especially from seafood and plants, relate to the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a large pooled analysis of 19 studies from around the world, up to May 2020.
  • - Among 25,570 participants followed for an average of 11.3 years, 19.3% developed CKD, with higher seafood-derived omega-3 levels linked to a lower risk of CKD, while plant-derived omega-3s showed no significant association.
  • - The findings suggested that higher consumption of seafood omega-3s could lead to a 13% reduction in the risk of CKD, but plant-based sources like alpha-linolenic
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To identify fasting serum metabolites associated with WG intake in a free-living population adjusted for potential confounders.

Methods: We selected fasting serum samples at baseline from a subset (n = 364) of the prospective population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) cohort. The samples were analyzed using nontargeted metabolomics with liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Recent studies have suggested that higher postmenopausal follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) may be associated with lower risk of diabetes. However, relatively little is known about postmenopausal FSH levels, including the level of variation between women and whether reproductive factors are associated with this variation.

Methods: We assessed the relationship of multiple reproductive factors with FSH levels among 588 postmenopausal women in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Lower urinary sodium concentrations (U) may be a biomarker for poor prognosis in chronic heart failure (HF). However, no data exist to determine its prognostic association over the long-term. We investigated whether U predicted major adverse coronary events (MACE) and all-cause mortality over 28-33 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Evidence on the association between dairy intake and depression is conflicting. Given numerous dietary guidelines recommend the consumption of low-fat dairy products, this study examined associations between total dairy, high-fat dairy, and low-fat dairy intake and the prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms. Associations between dairy products, which differed in both fat content and fermentation status, and depressive symptoms were also explored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Low intake or tissue concentrations of the -6 PUFA, especially to the major -6 PUFA linoleic acid (LA), and low exercise cardiac power (ECP) are both associated with CVD risk. However, associations of the -6 PUFA with ECP are unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore cross-sectional associations of the serum total -6 PUFA, LA, arachidonic acid (AA), -linolenic acid (GLA) and dihomo--linolenic acid (DGLA) concentrations with ECP and its components.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver diseases worldwide, and lifestyle and diet are significant factors in its development. Recent studies have suggested that dietary fat quality is associated with the development of NAFLD.

Objectives: Our purpose was to investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of serum n-3 (ω-3) and n-6 (ω-6) PUFAs with NAFLD among middle-aged and older men and women from eastern Finland.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The impact of egg consumption, a major source of dietary cholesterol, with the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs) is controversial. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a CVD which shares common risk factors and mechanistic pathways with ASCVD. However, there is no data on the relationship between egg or cholesterol intake and VTE risk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: The results of epidemiological studies on dairy products and low-grade inflammation are scarce and inconsistent. Some studies have suggested that the associations may vary depending on the type of dairy product consumed. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the associations between intake of fermented and non-fermented dairy products and separately butter and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a common inflammation marker, among a population with high dairy intake.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF