Triggers of nonfatal myocardial infarction in Costa Rica: heavy physical exertion, sexual activity, and infection.

Purpose: There are no data for factors that could trigger myocardial infarction (MI) in the context of lifestyles in developing countries.

Methods: Using a case-crossover design, we assessed the effect of heavy physical exertion, sexual activity, acute respiratory tract infections, and gastroenteritis as triggers for MI in 530 survivors of a first MI from Costa Rica.

Results: Relative risks (RRs) for MI in the hour after heavy physical exertion and 2 hours after sexual activity were 4.

Transient exposure to coffee as a trigger of a first nonfatal myocardial infarction.

Background: The effects of coffee on myocardial infarction are uncertain. We hypothesize that coffee in the presence of predisposing factors can induce a cascade of events that, through sympathetic nervous activation, can induce the onset of myocardial infarction.

Methods: We recruited 503 incident cases of nonfatal myocardial infarction between 1994 and 1998 in Costa Rica.

Fasting whole blood as a biomarker of essential fatty acid intake in epidemiologic studies: comparison with adipose tissue and plasma.

Biomarkers could provide a more accurate measure of long-term intake than questionnaires. Adipose tissue is considered the best indicator of long-term essential fatty acid intake, but other tissues may prove equally valid. The authors evaluated the ability of fasting whole blood, relative to fasting plasma and adipose tissue, to reflect fatty acid intake.

Decreased consumption of dried mature beans is positively associated with urbanization and nonfatal acute myocardial infarction.

Legumes may protect against myocardial infarction (MI). The objective of this study was to determine whether consumption of dried mature beans (referred to as beans), the main legume in Latin America, is associated with MI. The cases (n = 2119) were survivors of a first acute MI and were matched by age, sex, and area of residence to randomly selected population controls (n = 2119) in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican adolescents have a deleterious nutritional profile as compared to adults in terms of lower dietary and plasma concentrations of antioxidant micronutrients.

Objective: Most prospective studies in adult populations show an inverse association between consumption of fruits and vegetables and the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. The objective was to determine whether nutrient intakes and plasma concentrations of antioxidants of adolescents are similar to those of their parents or grandparents as a way of assessing whether dietary habits of parents are passed on to their adolescent children.

Carotenoid concentrations in vegetables and fruits common to the Costa Rican diet.

The intake of vegetables and fruits has been shown to reduce the risk of multiple diseases in many different populations. Various components of these foods have been investigated to explain the protective effects. Carotenoids, a class of phytochemicals found in these foods, have been investigated for links between their oxidative, provitamin A, and cellular properties and disease risk reduction.

Comparison of dietary intakes of micro- and macronutrients in rural, suburban and urban populations in Costa Rica.

Objective: To compare, along with behavioural habits, the potential atherogenicity of diets in rural and urban areas in Costa Rica.

Design: Subjects were randomly selected from the general population in Costa Rica. A validated food-frequency questionnaire that inquired about dietary intake in the previous year was administered once to each subject.

Adipose tissue biomarkers of fatty acid intake.

Background: Biomarkers can provide a more accurate measure of long-term intake than can dietary questionnaires.

Objective: The objective was to identify which adipose tissue fatty acids are suitable biomarkers of intake as assessed with a validated food-frequency questionnaire.

Design: Costa Rican men with a mean (+/- SD) age of 56 +/- 11 y (n = 367) and women aged 60 +/- 10 y (n = 136) completed a 135-item food-frequency questionnaire and provided an adipose tissue sample.