Background: Betel quid (Areca catechu) is used by approximately 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.