Mediterranean diet has been suggested to explain why @entity301 mortality is lower in southern than northern Europe. Dietary habits can be revealed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) measurement of @entity505 (  @entity7352 ) and @entity1568 (  @entity13140 ) in biological tissues. To study if diet is associated with @entity1 plaque stability, @entity731 plaques from carotid endarterectomy on 56 @entity1 (21 Portuguese and 35 Swedish) were analysed by IRMS and histology. Plaque components affecting @entity397 risk were measured. Swedish plaques had more apoptosis, lipids and larger cores, as well as fewer proliferating cells and @entity9976 than the Portuguese, conferring the Swedish a more @entity397 -prone phenotype. Portuguese plaques contained higher   @entity7352 and   @entity13140 than the Swedish, indicating that Portuguese plaques were more often derived from marine food. Plaque   @entity7352 correlated with @entity9976 and proliferating cells, and inversely with lipids, core size, apoptosis. Plaque   @entity13140 correlated with @entity9976 and inversely with lipids, core size and apoptosis. This is the first observational study showing that diet is reflected in plaque components associated with its vulnerability. The Portuguese plaques composition is consistent with an increased marine food intake and those plaques are more stable than those from Swedish @entity1 . Marine-derived food is associated with plaque stability.

Direct association between diet and the stability of XXXX @entity731 .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human', 'patients'] @entity9976 :: ('MESH:C564589', 'Disease') :: ['SMC'] @entity1568 :: ('MESH:D009584', 'Chemical') :: ['nitrogen'] @entity301 :: ('MESH:D003327', 'Disease') :: ['coronary heart disease'] @entity7352 :: ('CHEBI:36928', 'Chemical') :: ['(13)C'] @entity397 :: ('MESH:D012421', 'Disease') :: ['rupture'] @entity505 :: ('MESH:D002244', 'Chemical') :: ['carbon'] @entity731 :: ('MESH:D050197', 'Disease') :: ['atherosclerotic'] @entity13140 :: ('CHEBI:36934', 'Chemical') :: ['(15)N']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['human']
