High protein/carbs diet elevates atherosclerotic CVD risk in adults

Unhealthful dietary patterns, such as “fast food” and “high carbohydrate and protein,” positively correlate with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk and cardiovascular age gap (CAG), a study in Canada has shown.

The authors determined the 10-year ASCVD risk and CAG of Canadians aged 40–79 years, as well as the association between prevalent dietary patterns and ASCVD risk and CAG. They obtained health measures and dietary intake data from 2,088 respondents representative of 13,655,671 Canadians in the cross-sectional Canadian Health Measures Survey Cycles 1 and 2 (2007–2011).

The estimated 10-year ASCVD risk and CAG were established for adults aged 40–79 years across different levels of sociodemographic/lifestyle factors. The principal component analysis from 32 food groups collected via food frequency questionnaire was used to determine the dietary patterns.

The authors then examined the association of 10-year ASCVD risk and CAG with dietary patterns, controlling for potential covariates. Finally, the weighted and bootstrapped survey data to be nationally representative.

The mean 10-year ASCVD risk of these adults was 6.9 percent, while the mean CAG was –4.1 years (older) and 0.4 years (younger) for men and women, respectively.

Of the four dietary patterns that emerged, “high carbohydrate and protein”—characterized by high consumption of potatoes, red meat, egg, sausage, and ice cream/frozen yoghurt, among others—positively correlated with 10-year ASCVD (p_trend=0.013).

Moreover, a “fast food” dietary pattern showed a positive association with CAG (p=0.005), while a “healthy like” diet exhibited an inverse relationship (p<0.0001).

“Interventions for promoting healthy dietary patterns may be beneficial to reduce ASCVD in Canada,” the authors said.