Abstract 15644: Proinflammatory Diet Independently Predicts Shorter Event-free Survival in Patients With Heart Failure

Abstract

Introduction: Inflammation is a common biological process accompanying chronic conditions, such as heart failure (HF) that can be moderated by diet. The association between foods thought to promote inflammation and event-free survival in patients with HF has not been investigated. Hypothesis: The inflammatory potential of individuals’ diets, measured using the dietary inflammatory index (DII), will be associated with event-free survival in patients with HF. Methods: The DII scores were calculated from 4-day food diaries recorded at baseline by 213 patients with HF (age 61±12years, 35% female, 43% NYHA III/IV). Patients were followed for a median of 365 days by monthly phone calls, medical record review, and death records to determine time to all cause-hospitalization or death. The DII scores were dichotomized using median value for the Cox regression model. Hierarchical multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine whether DII scores predicted event-free survival after controlling for age, gender, body mass index, prescribed angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, beta-blocker, cholesterol lowering agent, antiinflammatory agent, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide, comorbidity, depressive symptoms, and the New York Heart Association functional classification. Results: The DII scores independently predicted event-free survival in the model constant ( p = 0.012). Higher DII scores were associated with more than double the risk of an event compared to lower DII scores (HR: 2.28, 95% Confidence Interval =1.21-4.36). Conclusions: Greater intake of foods considered to promote inflammation was associated with shorter event-free survival in patients with HF. These results provide further evidence of the importance of diet to HF outcomes.