SDF-1 has been demonstrated to be involved in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. This study was aimed to investigate whether the SDF1-3'A polymorphism (rs1801157) is associated to myocardial infarction (MI) in a sample of Chinese Han population. A total of 560 patients with MI and 532 controls were enrolled in the study. The SDF1-3'A polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction -restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. A significant difference in genotype distribution and allele frequency was observed between patients and controls (P = 0.003 and P = 0.001, respectively). The A allele carriers had a significantly reduced MI risk compared with the GG homozygotes (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.52-0.92; adjusted P = 0.007) in a logistic regression model after controlling conventional risk factors. The present study showed a significant association between the SDF1-3'A polymorphism and MI in Chinese Han population.