Abstract 13: Adherence to Various Dietary Patterns and Risk of Recurrent Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

Abstract

Background: We have shown that the Southern dietary pattern, characterized by added fats, fried foods, organ and processed meats, and sugar-sweetened beverages, is associated with a greater risk of incident CHD in REGARDS, a national, population-based, longitudinal cohort. We sought to determine if the Southern pattern, other dietary patterns, and the Mediterranean diet score were associated with CHD events and mortality in REGARDS participants who previously reported CHD. Methods: REGARDS enrolled white and black adults aged ≥45 years between 2003-2007. Data were analyzed from 3,562 participants with CHD at baseline. Participants completed an FFQ at baseline, from which 5 dietary patterns were derived through factor analysis (Table). The Mediterranean diet score was calculated for each participant. Expert-adjudicated CHD events included myocardial infarction and CHD death. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the association of the dietary patterns and score with CHD events and death, adjusting for sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, energy intake, anthropometrics, and medical conditions. Results: Over 7 years of follow-up, there were 581 recurrent CHD events and 1,098 deaths. In fully-adjusted analyses, the highest quartile of adherence to the alcohol/salads pattern and highest group of the Mediterranean diet score were associated with lower risk of recurrent CHD compared to the lowest quartile/group (HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.59 – 0.98, HR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62 – 0.98, respectively). The highest quartile of adherence to the Southern pattern was associated with higher mortality (HR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.28 – 1.91), while the highest group of the Mediterranean diet score was associated with lower mortality (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.68 – 0.95). Conclusions: While the Southern dietary pattern was not related to risk of recurrent CHD, it was associated with higher mortality in REGARDS participants with existing CHD. Greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk of recurrent CHD and mortality.