Abstract Body: Introduction: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) is the gold standard measure of arterial stiffness and is a well-established predictor of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Adherence to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), has been associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and morbidity and favorable blood pressure effects, potentially reducing arterial stiffness.
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that greater adherence to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and its components is associated with lower cfPWV in a cohort of community-dwelling older adults aged 65-85 without dementia.
Methods: We used the baseline data from the Arterial stiffness, Cognition, and Equol (ACE) trial, a multicenter RCT designed to test the effect of a 24-month intervention of equol supplementation on brain health among 400 self-reported White and Black/African Americans from Pittsburgh, PA, Winston-Salem, NC, and Atlanta, GA. Total cfPWV was measured supine after a 10-minute rest using the SphygmoCor XCEL system. Systolic blood pressure was assessed at the same visit without hypertension medication. Self-reported dietary intake from one weekday and one weekend interviewer-administered 24-hour dietary recalls was analyzed using the Nutrition Data System for Research software version 2022. The overall HEI-2020 and 13 component scores were determined. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the associations of the HEI-2020 or individual components with cfPWV adjusting for demographic and cardiometabolic risk factors.
Results: Our analytical cohort included 196 participants recruited at the Pittsburgh site. The cohort was 48.5% female and 8.7% Black/African American, with an average age of 71.9 years (SD: 4.6). Participants had a mean HEI-2020 score of 58.4 (SD: 13.8) and a mean cfPWV of 8.90 m/s (SD: 1.54). The participants were mostly in good health. Total HEI was not associated with cfPWV (p=0.78). On average, consuming adequate dark green vegetables and legumes (≥0.2 cup equiv. per 1,000 kcal) was associated with 0.6 m/s lower cfPWV than eating no dark green vegetables or legumes (p=0.03). Greater consumption of protein-dense food groups was positively associated with cfPWV (p=0.04); yet, total protein intake was not.
Conclusion: Greater adherence to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans on consumption of dark green vegetables and legumes is associated with lower cfPWV.