The independent role of fasting triglyceride levels in predicting coronary heart disease (CHD) is still a matter of debate. This study quantified the risk of CHD (evaluated by angiography) associated with changes in triglycerides over a follow-up period of 5.5 years in 13,953 apparently healthy, untreated young men with triglyceride levels <3.39 mmol/L. A higher baseline triglyceride concentration was associated with increased CHD risk even after adjusting for confounding variables. Furthermore, CHD risk in men with elevated triglyceride concentrations (top tertile) at baseline changed depending on follow-up triglyceride concentrations, with the risk decreasing if the second triglyceride measurement was lower than the first. An increase in triglyceride concentrations between the two visits increased CHD risk. However, CHD risk stayed higher in men with high baseline triglyceride levels but low follow-up values than in men with low values at both examinations. This suggests that changes in triglyceride levels over time can modify the strength of the relationship between triglycerides and CHD risk.
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