Greenlanders' genomes signal a fatty diet: The evolutionary consequences of inhabiting a challenging environment can be seen within the genomes of Greenland Inuit. Fumagalli et al. have found signs of selection for genetic variants in fat metabolism, not just for promoting heat-producing brown fat cells but also for coping with the large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in their seafood diet (see the Perspective by Tishkoff). Genes under selection in these populations have a strong effect on height and weight of up to 2 cm and 4 kg, respectively, as well as a protective effect on cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Science , this issue p. 1343 ; see also p. 1282

Both road traffic noise and ambient air pollution have been associated with risk for ischemic heart disease, but only few inconsistent studies include both exposures. In a population-based cohort of 57 053 people aged 50 to 64 years at enrolment in 1993–1997, we identified 1600 cases of first-ever MI between enrolment and 2006. The mean follow-up time was 9.8 years. Exposure to road traffic noise and air pollution from 1988 to 2006 was estimated for all cohort members from residential address history. Associations between exposure to road traffic noise and incident MI were analysed in a Cox regression model with adjustment for air pollution (NO_x) and other potential confounders: age, sex, education, lifestyle confounders, railway and airport noise. We found that residential exposure to road traffic noise (L_den) was significantly associated with MI, with an incidence rate ratio IRR of 1.12 per 10 dB for both of the two exposure windows: yearly exposure at the time of diagnosis (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.22) and 5-years time-weighted mean (95% CI: 1.02–1.23) preceding the diagnosis. Visualizing of the results using restricted cubic splines showed a linear dose-response relationship. Exposure to long-term residential road traffic noise was associated with a higher risk for MI, in a dose-dependent manner.

To assess the validity of the diagnoses of atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) for men and women recorded in the Danish National Patient Registry, and to assess the relative distribution of AF and AFL. Review of medical records for incident cases of AF and/or AFL in the Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort study. Participants were enrolled in 1993-97 with 13.6 years of follow-up until 30 December, 2009. The positive predictive value of the combined diagnosis of AF and/or AFL was 92.6% (95% CI 88.8%; 95.2%) with no significant difference between sexes (men 93.7% (133/142), women 90.8% (129/142)). The proportion of AFL either alone or in combination with AF was significantly higher in men than in women (13.5% (18/133) vs. 5.4% (7/129), p =0.03). The positive predictive value of the specified diagnosis of AFL was 57.5% for men (46/80) and 29.6% for women (8/27). This study shows that the validity of the diagnosis of AF and/or AFL is high and may be used for registry-based studies. A specified diagnosis of AFL was rarely used and was not reliable to distinguish between cases of AF and AFL.

Background: Studies have suggested that replacing saturated fatty acids (SFAs) with carbohydrates is modestly associated with a higher risk of ischem