Plasma acylcarnitines and risk of incident heart failure and atrial fibrillation: the Prevención con dieta mediterránea study

Fatty acid metabolic dysregulation in mitochondria is a common mechanism involved in the development of heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). We evaluated the association between plasma acylcarnitine levels and the incidence of HF or AF, and whether the mediterranean diet (MedDiet) may attenuate the association between acylcarnitines and HF or AF risk.Two case-control studies nested within the Prevención con dieta mediterránea (PREDIMED) trial. High cardiovascular risk participants were recruited in Spain: 326 incident HF and 509 AF cases individually matched to 1 to 3 controls. Plasma acylcarnitines were measured with high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Conditional logistic regression models were fitted to estimate multivariable OR and 95%CI. Additive and multiplicative interactions were assessed by intervention group, obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/mElevated levels of medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines were associated with increased HF risk (adjusted ORAmong individuals at high cardiovascular risk, elevated long-chain acylcarnitines were associated with a higher risk of incident HF and AF. An intervention with MedDiet+extra-virgin olive oil may reduce AF risk associated with long-chain acylcarnitines. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com (Identifier: ISRCTN35739639).