Recent epidemiological evidence indicates that the hemostatic profile is an important predictor of cardiovascular disease, yet its dietary determinants are not well established. An important question is whether dietary fatty acid intake influences blood levels of coagulation proteins. We examined potential dietary determinants of six hemostatic factors -fibrinogen, factor VII, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor (vWF), protein C, and antithrombin III -in four population-based samples totaling over 15 000 participants, blacks and whites, in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Usual dietary intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire. Cross-sectional associations were explored using multiple linear regression analysis, adjusting for gender, race, age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol use, diabetes, and field center. Dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) showed negative associations with fibrinogen, factor VIII, and vWF (blacks and whites) and a positive association with protein C (whites only). Fish intake, the major source of dietary n-3 PUFAs, was similarly related to the hemostatic profile: a 1 serving per day greater fish intake was associated with the following predicted differences (95% confidence interval): fibrinogen, -2.9 mg/dL (-6.3, 0.5); factor VIII, -3.3% (-5. hemostatic factors play an important role in cardiovascular disease. Two coagulation proteins, fibrinogen and factor VII, have been shown in prospective studies to be independent predictors of cardiovascular events. 13 The contribution of other coagulation factors such as factor VIII, antithrombin HI (AT-II1), and protein C to cardiovascular disease has not been established prospectively but is quite plausible in view of their well-known roles in thrombogenesis.Dietary determinants of the hemostatic profile have attracted scientific attention over the last decade, with specific interest in the possible influence of various