Abstract
This study examined the relationship between diet quality scores and cardiometabolic risk factors in regionally-dwelling older Australian adults with increased cardiovascular risk. This study was a cross-sectional analysis of demographic, anthropometric, and cardiometabolic risk factor data from 458 participants of the Cardiovascular Stream of the Hazelwood Health Study. Participants completed a 120 item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression adjusting for age, sex, smoking, physical activity, education, diabetes, and body mass index was used to examine the relationship between diet and cardiometabolic risk factors. Mean (SD) age of participants was 71 (8) years, and 55% were male. More than half of men and women did not meet recommended intakes of fibre, while 60% of men and 42% of women exceeded recommended dietary sodium intakes. Higher diet quality in terms of intake of vegetables, grains, and non-processed meat, as well as intake of non-fried fish, was associated with more favourable cardiometabolic risk profiles, while sugar-sweetened soft drink intake was strongly associated with adverse cardiometabolic risk factor levels. In older, regionally-dwelling adults, dietary public health strategies that address whole grain products, vegetable and fish consumption, and sugar-sweetened soft-drink intake may be of benefit in reducing cardiometabolic risk.
Highlights
Cardiometabolic diseases remain a major cause of mortality and morbidity across the globe, with high blood pressure, smoking, elevated plasma glucose, and high body mass index (BMI, kg/m2 ), the top four risk factors for attributable disability-adjusted life years [1]
Eighteen per cent of participants reported a history of diabetes, and 49.3%
Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was adversely associated with cardiometabolic risk factors, while intake of fresh and canned fish was beneficially associated with cardiometabolic risk factors
Summary
Cardiometabolic diseases remain a major cause of mortality and morbidity across the globe, with high blood pressure, smoking, elevated plasma glucose, and high body mass index (BMI, kg/m2 ), the top four risk factors for attributable disability-adjusted life years [1]. Dietary intake is a well-known risk factor for non-communicable diseases, and the Global Burden of Disease Study recently estimated that 11 million deaths were attributable to dietary risk factors in 2017 [2]. Limited availability of geographically representative data remains a barrier to a clearer understanding of dietary risks, and to the development of effective local interventions to reduce the cardiometabolic disease risk conferred by inadequate dietary intake. Age-and sex-specific dietary intake guidelines for maintaining health have been developed in many countries, including Australia, largely on the basis of findings from observational and prospective cohort data [3].
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