Late Breaking Abstract - Ventilatory function and diet quality in US adults – Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Abstract

Background: Diet quality has been associated with lower risk of respiratory diseases, but evidence from studies representative of the US population is limited. Objective: To investigate the association of ventilatory function and diet quality in adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Methods: Analyses included US adults aged 19-70 years old who completed at least one 24-hour dietary recall and underwent pre-bronchodilator spirometry (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC], and FEV1/FVC) in three NHANES cycle years (2007-2012). Only individuals whose spirometry met ATS quality standards, and who had plausible dietary intake were included (n=10,428). The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) score was used to ascertain diet quality (range 0-110, higher=better diet quality). Weighted linear regression models were used to examine the association of ventilatory function outcomes and AHEI-score, adjusting for age, sex, height, race, income, body mass index, education, smoking status, and physical activity. Results: Participants had a mean AHEI-score of 44.60 (SD± 12.82), indicating low diet quality. A per-standard deviation increase in AHEI-score was statistically significantly associated with a greater FVC [mL] (adjusted [a] b-coefficient 26.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] 11.65, 42.00; p-value Conclusion: This large population-based study showed that better quality diet was associated with improved lung function in US adults.