Betel-quid use is associated with heart disease in women

Background: Betel quid (Areca catechu) is used by approximate to 10% of the world population. Betel-quid use is associated with the metabolic syndrome-a risk factor for heart disease. Objective: The objective was to test whether betel-quid use is associated with heart disease in adults. Design: Nonpregnant adults aged 20-64 y (n = 1932,52% women) from the nationally representative Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1993-1996) were studied for independent associations between betel-quid use and heart disease after adjustment for lifestyle factors, age, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and concentrations of serum total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Results: The prevalence of betel-quid use was higher in men than in women (31 % compared with 2.4%; P < 0.001). The prevalence of heart disease was not significantly different between men and women (3.3 % compared with 2.3 %; P = 0.12). The prevalence of betel-quid use decreased, whereas the prevalence of heart disease increased, with age. Betel-quid users were younger, drank more, had a lower dietary fruit intake, had a higher Framingham risk score, and had higher serum triacylglycerol concentrations than did the nonusers. At a mean consumption rate of 10 times/d (the third quartile of betel-quid consumption in betel-quid users), betel-quid use was independently associated with the Framingham risk score in subjects without heart disease only if obesity was not included as an adjustment factor (P = 0.007). Moreover, the daily rate of betel-quid use was independently associated with prevalent heart disease; the odds ratio associated with a betel-quid consumption rate of 10 times/d was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.6; P = 0.003) in women. Conclusion: Betel-quid use is independently associated with heart disease in women.