Fruit and vegetable intake is associated with lower Framingham risk scores in Korean men

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing the daily intake of fruits and vegetables by type on a national level and the effect on the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, as determined by the Framingham Risk Score. A total of 5,275 men who were involved in the 2007–2009 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were divided into 3 groups based on the Framingham Risk Score for CHD over 10 years: low‐risk (<10%), intermediate‐risk (10–20%), and high‐risk (>20%) groups. Low‐risk participants had significantly lower waist circumferences and blood pressures than the high‐risk participants. The intake of salted vegetables was significantly lower in the low‐risk group than in the intermediate‐risk group (p = 0.0090), while the intake of tuber vegetables was the highest in the low‐risk group (p = 0.0022). The intake of tuber vegetables was inversely and significantly associated with the risk of CHD (Model 1: 4th vs. 1st quartile, OR = 0.625, 95% CI = 0.518–0.754, p for trend < 0.0001), and the significant relationship with CHD risk remained even after adjusting for potential confounders (Model 2: 4th vs. 1st quartile, OR = 0.775, 95% CI = 0.633–0.947, p for trend = 0.0220). Further development of appropriate strategies for higher fruit and vegetable intake may help prevent CHD in Korean men.