Dietary total antioxidant capacity is associated in Polish men and women with the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main cause of mortality in the Polish population. Improper diet and lifestyle are among the risk factors for CVD. Previous studies have suggested that dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) is a measure of diet quality. Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between diet quality measured by DTAC and the prevalence of CVD and CVD risk factors in the representative sample of men and women in Poland. Methods The study evaluated participants (2594 men, 3136 women) of the population-based cross-sectional Polish National Multicenter Health Examination Survey (WOBASZ II), which was conducted in 2013-2014. Dietary data were collected using a single 24-hour dietary recall method. The database on dietary antioxidants was compiled from published and own experimental data. DTAC was calculated taking into account the antioxidant capacity of individual foods and the amount of food intake. Men and women were divided into quartiles of CVD prevalence and its risk factors (diabetes; hypertension; BMI≥25; central obesity, CO; low level of leisure-time physical activity, LTPA) according to DTAC. Statistical calculations were performed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS), version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Results DTAC in men ranged from 0.47 to 95.69 mmol/day, while in women it was 0.32-191.82 mmol/day. In men, the prevalence of CVD was 23.7% in the lowest DTAC quartile (Q1) versus 14.9% in the highest quartile (Q4) (p<0.0001), while in women it was 23.4% (Q1) and 17.4% (Q4), respectively (p<0.0002). In women, but not in men, DTAC was inversely associated with diabetes (p<0.0002), hypertension (p<0.0001), CO (p<0.02) and low LTPA (p<0.0006). Conclusions DTAC is inversely related to the prevalence of CVD in both genders. In women, but not in men, there is a significant inverse association of DTAC with CVD risk factors such as metabolic diseases, central obesity and lower physical activity. In order to reduce the risk of CVD, Polish men and women should be advised to improve the quality of their diet by increasing the dietary intake of antioxidants.