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In the news: Pro-inflammatory Diets May Increase Long-Term CVD Risk
In the news: Pro-inflammatory Diets May Increase Long-Term CVD Risk
Pro-inflammatory Diets Up CVD Risk Long-Term
Inflammation plays an important role in the develop-ment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). While research has shown that diet influences inflammation, whether dietary patterns that promote inflammation can increase the long-term risk of CVD is still unknown.
In a new study, Harvard researchers sought to shed light on this question. Their findings suggest that reducing the inflammatory potential of the diet may be an effective strategy for preventing CVD.
The researchers prospectively followed 74,578 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (1984–2016), 91,656 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II (1991–2015), and 43,911 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986–2016) who were free of CVD at baseline.
Diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaires every 4 years. The inflammatory potential of diet was evaluated using a food-based empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) score that was pre-defined based on levels of 3 systemic inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha).
The 3 cohorts provided 5,291,518 person-years of follow-up. A pooled analysis of the cohorts adjusted for potential confounding variables, showed that the highest dietary inflammatory potential (highest EDIP score vs. the lowest score) was associated with:
These associations were consistent across the 3 cohorts and between sexes, and they remained significant after further adjustment for other dietary quality indices.
In a subset of 33,719 participants, a higher EDIP score was associated with a higher circulating profile of proinflammatory biomarkers, lower levels of adiponectin, and an unfavorable blood lipid profile (p < 0.001).
The study suggests that modulating chronic inflammation may be a mechanism linking dietary patterns with CVD, according to the authors.
For patients looking for an eating plan that closely follows the tenets of anti-inflammatory eating, consider the Mediterranean diet. It is high in anti-inflammatory foods including fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, olive oil and wine, while low in red meat, processed meat and sugar (among the more pro-inflammatory foods).
The Mediterranean diet has also been linked to lower risk of age-related macular degeneration and a reduced risk for cataract surgery.
- Jun Li, et al. Dietary inflammatory potential and risk of cardiovascular disease among men and women in the U.S. J Am Coll Cardiol.76:2181–93, 2020.