Associations between Dietary Patterns and LDL Peak Particle Diameter: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: Dietary patterns are used to evaluate the effects of overall nutritional habits on health status, and low-density lipoprotein–peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) has been recognized as an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study is to verify whether an association exists between dietary patterns and LDL-PPD.Methods: A total of 635 participants aged between 18 and 55 years were included in this cross-sectional study. Nutritional information was collected with a validated food frequency questionnaire. To establish dietary patterns, factor analysis was performed, which led to characterization of the Western and Prudent dietary patterns. Nondenaturing 2%–16% polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis was used to characterize LDL-PPD.Results: The Western pattern was characterized by high consumption of food such as refined grains, French fries, and red meats, and the Prudent pattern by nonhydrogenated fat, vegetables, eggs, and fish. For the Western profile, a negative correlation was found between score value and LDL-PPD before (r = −0.082, p = 0.039) and after adjustment for age (r = −0.080, p = 0.043). A negative correlation between scores for the Prudent profile and the LDL-PPD adjusted for age, sex, plasma triglycerides, and energy was observed (r = −0.12204, p = 0.0021). After division by tertiles and adjustment for the confounding effects of age, sex, plasma triglyceride levels, and energy, a significant difference (p = 0.0015) in LDL-PPD was noted between the highest tertile (255.21 ± 3.61 Å) and the lowest tertile (255.79 ± 3.68 Å) of the Prudent pattern.Conclusions: Dietary patterns, such as the Western and the Prudent, are associated with LDL-PPD. Dietary patterns can be used to assess the effects of nutritional habits on health status.