Long-term diet modification and platelet activity

Platelet activity was assessed in a sub-sample of 56 participants in the MRC Diet and Reinfarction Trial (DART). Men whose diets contained a high ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids (a P:S ratio of greater than 0.5) showed reduced secondary platelet aggregation to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and diminished platelet aggregation to ADP in whole blood. A trend of reduced secondary platelet aggregation to ADP with increasing dietary eicosapentaenoic acid was noted, but this was not statistically significant. The results of this study and the MRC Diet and Reinfarction Trial suggest a mediatory role for platelet activity in the relationship between diet and ischaemic heart disease.