Does number of children increase the rate of coronary heart disease in men?

We examined the association between number of children and coronary heart disease risk among men in two large prospective cohort studies. Data from the Framingham Heart Study comprised a group of 1,632 men who were followed for 30 years; data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey National Epidemiologic Follow-up Study included 2,584 men who were followed for 3-5 years. We found no relation between number of children and coronary heart disease incidence in these cohorts. This lack of association in men contrasts with the previous positive association found between pregnancy and coronary heart disease in women.