HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Related articles in AJCN Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Google Scholar Articles by Nettleton, J. A Articles by Jacobs, D. R PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nettleton, J. A Articles by Jacobs, D. R, Jr Agricola Articles by Nettleton, J. A Articles by Jacobs, D. R

A priori–defined dietary patterns and markers of cardiovascular disease risk in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)^1,2,3

¹ From the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (JAN and DRJ); the Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway (DRJ); the Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany (MBS); the Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY (RJ); the Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (NSJ); and the Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC (GB)

Background: The level of detail regarding the dietary intake necessary to characterize associations between diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is uncertain.

Objective: We evaluated a unique a priori–defined dietary pattern in relation to several traditional and novel CVD risk factors.

Design: At the baseline examination, diet (by food-frequency questionnaire), markers of inflammation, subclinical atherosclerosis, renal disease, vascular compliance, and other traditional risk factors were measured in 5089 men and women aged 45–84 y without clinical CVD or diabetes from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). We defined a Comprehensive Healthy Dietary Pattern by summing weighted categorical ranks of 36 narrowly defined food groups (21 rated favorably with categorical ranks x +1.0 and 15 rated unfavorably with categorical ranks x –1.0). We also defined a Simplified Healthy Dietary Pattern composed of 3 favorable (whole grains, fruit, and seeds and nuts) and 3 unfavorable (added fats and oils, processed meats, and fried potatoes) food groups using similar scoring techniques and determined the difference between the comprehensive and simplified scores.

Results: The Comprehensive Healthy Dietary Pattern was associated with lower urinary albumin:creatinine ratios, common carotid intima-media thickness, measures of adiposity, and inflammatory marker, triacylglycerol, and insulin concentrations. The magnitudes of most of the associations were similar between the 2 dietary patterns, but some differences were observed between scores. Dietary patterns were not associated with blood pressure, coronary artery calcification, internal carotid intima-media thickness, or the ankle brachial index.

Conclusions: Many food groups contribute to the characterization of relations with a variety of CVD risk markers, although only 6 food groups contribute much of the information in MESA.

Related articles in AJCN:

Defining dietary consumption: is the sum greater than its parts?

Martha L Slattery
AJCN 2008 88: 14-15. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. L Slattery Defining dietary consumption: is the sum greater than its parts? Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2008; 88(1): 14 - 15. [Full Text] [PDF]