Substitutions between potatoes and other vegetables and risk of ischemic stroke

Potato Consumption and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality - A Long-Term Follow-Up of a Norwegian Cohort

BACKGROUND

Potatoes are a staple food in many traditional cuisines, yet their impact on long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality is unclear, hampering evidence-based dietary guidelines.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the association between potato consumption and all-cause and CVD-specific death over a substantial follow-up period within a cohort predominantly consuming boiled potatoes.

METHODS

Adults from 3 Norwegian counties were invited to 3 health screenings in 1974-1988 (>80% attendance). Dietary data were collected using semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires at each screening to categorize weekly potato consumption (≤6, 7-13, or ≥14 potatoes/wk) and calculate daily cumulative mean intakes (grams/day). Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable Cox regression to estimate HRs and 95% CIs for the association between potato consumption and risk of death from all causes, CVD, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

RESULTS

Among 77,297 participants with a mean baseline age of 41.1 y (range: 18.0-63.9 y), we observed 27,848 deaths, including 9072 deaths due to CVD, over a median follow-up of 33.5 y. Participants who consumed ≥14 potatoes/wk had a lower risk of all-cause death compared with those consuming ≤6 potatoes/wk (HR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.93). Potato consumption was associated with a minor, inverse risk of death due to CVD, IHD, and AMI. In continuous analyses of cumulative intakes, each 100 g/d increment was associated with 4% lower risk of death from all causes (HR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94, 0.98), CVD (HR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.93, 0.99), IHD (HR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.00), and AMI (HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.91, 1.01).

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort with a generally high consumption of predominantly boiled potatoes, we find modest, inverse associations between potato consumption and death from all causes, CVD, and IHD.

Substitution of animal-based with plant-based foods on cardiometabolic health and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

BACKGROUND

There is growing evidence that substituting animal-based with plant-based foods is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and all-cause mortality. Our aim was to summarize and evaluate the evidence for the substitution of any animal-based foods with plant-based foods on cardiometabolic health and all-cause mortality in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science to March 2023 for prospective studies investigating the substitution of animal-based with plant-based foods on CVD, T2D, and all-cause mortality. We calculated summary hazard ratios (SHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using random-effects meta-analyses. We assessed the certainty of evidence (CoE) using the GRADE approach.

RESULTS

In total, 37 publications based on 24 cohorts were included. There was moderate CoE for a lower risk of CVD when substituting processed meat with nuts [SHR (95% CI): 0.73 (0.59, 0.91), n = 8 cohorts], legumes [0.77 (0.68, 0.87), n = 8], and whole grains [0.64 (0.54, 0.75), n = 7], as well as eggs with nuts [0.83 (0.78, 0.89), n = 8] and butter with olive oil [0.96 (0.95, 0.98), n = 3]. Furthermore, we found moderate CoE for an inverse association with T2D incidence when substituting red meat with whole grains/cereals [0.90 (0.84, 0.96), n = 6] and red meat or processed meat with nuts [0.92 (0.90, 0.94), n = 6 or 0.78 (0.69, 0.88), n = 6], as well as for replacing poultry with whole grains [0.87 (0.83, 0.90), n = 2] and eggs with nuts or whole grains [0.82 (0.79, 0.86), n = 2 or 0.79 (0.76, 0.83), n = 2]. Moreover, replacing red meat for nuts [0.93 (0.91, 0.95), n = 9] and whole grains [0.96 (0.95, 0.98), n = 3], processed meat with nuts [0.79 (0.71, 0.88), n = 9] and legumes [0.91 (0.85, 0.98), n = 9], dairy with nuts [0.94 (0.91, 0.97), n = 3], and eggs with nuts [0.85 (0.82, 0.89), n = 8] and legumes [0.90 (0.89, 0.91), n = 7] was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that a shift from animal-based (e.g., red and processed meat, eggs, dairy, poultry, butter) to plant-based (e.g., nuts, legumes, whole grains, olive oil) foods is beneficially associated with cardiometabolic health and all-cause mortality.

Elevated gut microbiome abundance of Christensenellaceae, Porphyromonadaceae and Rikenellaceae is associated with reduced visceral adipose tissue and healthier metabolic profile in Italian elderly

Aging is accompanied by physiological changes affecting body composition and functionality, including accumulation of fat mass at the expense of muscle mass, with effects upon morbidity and quality of life. The gut microbiome has recently emerged as a key environmental modifier of human health that can modulate healthy aging and possibly longevity. However, its associations with adiposity in old age are still poorly understood. Here we profiled the gut microbiota in a well-characterized cohort of 201 Italian elderly subjects from the NU-AGE study, by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. We then tested for association with body composition from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), with a focus on visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue. Dietary patterns, serum metabolome and other health-related parameters were also assessed. This study identified distinct compositional structures of the elderly gut microbiota associated with DXA parameters, diet, metabolic profiles and cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Mediterranean Diet and Fatigue among Community-Dwelling Postmenopausal Women

We investigated cross-sectional relationships between the Mediterranean diet and overall fatigue, energy, and weariness scores among 4,563 women aged 65+ from the Women's Health Initiative study. We also used the Isocaloric Substitution approach to explore whether the substitution of fish for red and processed meat, whole for non-whole grains, and whole fruit for fruit juice relate to RAND-36 measured overall fatigue and its subdomains. The alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMED) Index quintiles (Q1-Q5) and selected Mediterranean foods available on a Food Frequency Questionnaire were exposure measures. Results showed aMED Q5 was associated with 2.99 (95% CI: 0.88, 5.11), 4.01 (95% CI: 1.51, 6.53), and 2.47 (95% CI: 0.24, 4.70) point improvements in fatigue, energy, and weariness scores, respectively, compared with aMED Q1. Substituting fish for red and processed meat and whole for non-whole grains was associated with more favorable fatigue scores, whereas substituting whole fruit for juice was not.