Eating more plant foods may lower heart disease risk in young adults,
older women

Date:
August 4, 2021
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
Eating a plant-centered diet during young adulthood is associated
with a lower risk of heart disease in middle age, according to
a long-term study with about 30 years of follow-up. A separate
study with about 15 years of follow-up found that eating more
plant-based foods that have been shown to lower cholesterol,
called the 'Portfolio Diet', is associated with lower risk of
cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Eating more nutritious, plant-based foods is heart-healthy at any age, according to two research studies published today in theJournal of
the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American
Heart Association.


==========================================================================
In two separate studies analyzing different measures of healthy
plant food consumption, researchers found that both young adults and postmenopausal women had fewer heart attacks and were less likely to
develop cardiovascular disease when they ate more healthy plant foods.

The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations
suggest an overall healthy dietary pattern that emphasizes a variety of
fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless
poultry and fish, nuts and legumes and non-tropical vegetable oils. It
also advises limited consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium,
red meat, sweets and sugary drinks.

One study, titled "A Plant-Centered Diet and Risk of Incident
Cardiovascular Disease during Young to Middle Adulthood," evaluated
whether long-term consumption of a plant-centered diet and a shift toward
a plant-centered diet starting in young adulthood are associated with
a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in midlife.

"Earlier research was focused on single nutrients or single foods,
yet there is little data about a plant-centered diet and the long-term
risk of cardiovascular disease," said Yuni Choi, Ph.D., lead author of
the young adult study and a postdoctoral researcher in the division of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School
of Public Health in Minneapolis.

Choi and colleagues examined diet and the occurrence of heart disease in
4,946 adults enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young
Adults (CARDIA) study. Participants were 18- to 30-years-old at the time
of enrollment (1985-1986) in this study and were free of cardiovascular
disease at that time.

Participants included 2,509 Black adults and 2,437 white adults (54.9%
women overall) who were also analyzed by education level (equivalent
to more than high school vs. high school or less). Participants had
eight follow-up exams from 1987-88 to 2015-16 that included lab tests,
physical measurements, medical histories and assessment of lifestyle
factors. Unlike randomized controlled trials, participants were not
instructed to eat certain things and were not told their scores on the
diet measures, so the researchers could collect unbiased, long-term
habitual diet data.



========================================================================== After detailed diet history interviews, the quality of the participants
diets was scored based on the A PrioriDiet Quality Score (APDQS) composed
of 46 food groups at years 0, 7 and 20 of the study. The food groups
were classified into beneficial foods (such as fruits, vegetables, beans,
nuts and whole grains); adverse foods (such as fried potatoes, high-fat
red meat, salty snacks, pastries and soft drinks); and neutral foods
(such as potatoes, refined grains, lean meats and shellfish) based on
their known association with cardiovascular disease.

Participants who received higher scores ate a variety of beneficial
foods, while people who had lower scores ate more adverse foods. Overall, higher values correspond to a nutritionally rich, plant-centered diet.

"As opposed to existing diet quality scores that are usually based on
small numbers of food groups, APDQS is explicit in capturing the overall quality of diet using 46 individual food groups, describing the whole
diet that the general population commonly consumes. Our scoring is very comprehensive, and it has many similarities with diets like the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Healthy Eating Index (from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service), the DASH (Dietary Approaches
to Stop Hypertension) diet and the Mediterranean diet," said David
E. Jacobs Jr., Ph.D., senior author of the study and Mayo Professor of
Public Health in the division of epidemiology and community health at
the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis.

Researchers found:
* During 32 years of follow-up, 289 of the participants developed
cardiovascular disease (including heart attack, stroke, heart
failure, heart-related chest pain or clogged arteries anywhere in
the body).

* People who scored in the top 20% on the long-term diet quality score
(meaning they ate the most nutritionally rich plant foods and fewer
adversely rated animal products) were 52% less likely to develop
cardiovascular disease, after considering several factors (including
age, sex, race, average caloric consumption, education, parental
history of heart disease, smoking and average physical activity).

* In addition, between year 7 and 20 of the study when participants
ages
ranged from 25 to 50, those who improved their diet quality the
most (eating more beneficial plant foods and fewer adversely
rated animal products) were 61% less likely to develop subsequent
cardiovascular disease, in comparison to the participants whose
diet quality declined the most during that time.

* There were few vegetarians among the participants, so the study
was not
able to assess the possible benefits of a strict vegetarian diet,
which excludes all animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs.

"A nutritionally rich, plant-centered diet is beneficial for
cardiovascular health. A plant-centered diet is not necessarily
vegetarian," Choi said.

"People can choose among plant foods that are as close to natural as
possible, not highly processed. We think that individuals can include
animal products in moderation from time to time, such as non-fried
poultry, non-fried fish, eggs and low-fat dairy." Because this study is observational, it cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship between
diet and heart disease.

Other co-authors are Nicole Larson, Ph.D.; Lyn M. Steffen, Ph.D.;
Pamela J.

Schreiner, Ph.D.; Daniel D. Gallaher, Ph.D.; Daniel A. Duprez, M.D.,
Ph.D.; James M. Shikany, Dr.P.H.; and Jamal S. Rana, M.D., Ph.D.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of
the National Institutes of Health; Healthy Food Healthy Lives Institute
at the University of Minnesota; and the MnDrive Global Food Ventures Professional Development Program at the University of Minnesota.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Heart_Association. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal References:
1. Andrea J. Glenn, Kenneth Lo, David J. A. Jenkins, Beatrice
A. Boucher,
Anthony J. Hanley, Cyril W. C. Kendall, JoAnn E. Manson, Mara Z.

Vitolins, Linda G. Snetselaar, Simin Liu, John L. Sievenpiper.

Relationship Between a Plant‐Based Dietary Portfolio and
Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Findings From the Women's Health
Initiative Prospective Cohort Study. Journal of the American Heart
Association, 2021; DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.121.021515
2. Yuni Choi, Nicole Larson, Lyn M. Steffen, Pamela J. Schreiner,
Daniel D.

Gallaher, Daniel A. Duprez, James M. Shikany, Jamal S. Rana,
David R.

Jacobs. Plant‐Centered Diet and Risk of Incident
Cardiovascular Disease During Young to Middle Adulthood. Journal of
the American Heart Association, 2021; DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.120.020718 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210804123607.htm

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