First Course DASH, Second Course Mediterranean: Comparing Renal Outcomes for Two “Heart-Healthy” Diets

The association of obesity-related dietary patterns and main food groups derived by reduced-rank regression with cardiovascular diseases incidence and all-cause mortality: findings from 116,711 adults

PURPOSE

Research about using reduced-rank regression (RRR) to simultaneously study the effects of both individual and combined consumption of foods on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is scarce.

METHODS

This study included 116,711 CVD-free participants (a median of 11.8 year follow-up) with 2 or more 24-h online dietary assessments. A total of 210 food items were classified into 45 food groups, and the mean amount of each food group was used in RRR to derive dietary patterns (DPs) explaining the maximum shared variation in obesity-related indicators. The associations of DPs and its main food groups (|factor loading| [Formula: see text] 0.2) with the incident CVD and all-cause mortality were examined by Cox model. In cross-sectional analyses, the associations of DP scores with cardiometabolic risk factors (biomarkers) were examined by linear regression.

RESULTS

The derived DP was characterized by higher intakes of beer and cider, high-sugar beverages, processed meat, red meat, artificial sweetener, and crisps, chips and savory snacks, and lower intakes of olive oil, high fiber breakfast cereals, tea, and vegetable. Compared to the lowest dietary score quintile, those in the highest were associated with higher risks of total CVD (adjusted-HR: 1.45, 95% CI 1.33-1.57) and all-cause mortality (adjusted-HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.18-1.45). We observed consumption alone of these food groups had a consistent but limited health effect on total CVD and all-cause death incidence. These associations were modified by age and sex. Higher DP scores were related to adverse biomarkers profiles.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed obesity-related DPs prospectively associated with increased risks of CVD and all-cause mortality.

Adherence to DASH Dietary Pattern and Its Association with Incident Hyperuricemia Risk: A Prospective Study in Chinese Community Residents

Hyperuricemia represents a great burden on global public health, and it is important to provide effective guidance at the level of dietary patterns. We evaluated the association between the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the risk of hyperuricemia in a large-scale, community-based cohort in East China. In total, 45,853 participants that did not have either hyperuricemia nor gout were included and assigned a DASH dietary score based on their baseline dietary intake. They were then divided into five quintiles (Q1−Q5) according to their score, followed by cross-linkages with local health information systems and in-person surveys. Cox proportional hazards models were adopted to calculate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During a median follow-up of 4.54 years, 2079 newly diagnosed hyperuricemia cases were documented. Compared to the DASH Q1 group, the risk of incident hyperuricemia for the Q5 group was significantly reduced by 16% (HR: 0.84; 95% CIs: 0.72−0.97) in the adjusted model. The associations of DASH diet with hyperuricemia appeared stronger (P for interaction <0.001) among participants with 3−4 cardiometabolic diseases at baseline, compared with their counterparts. Our results suggest that the DASH diet could be taken into account in the recognition of risk population and the prevention of hyperuricemia.

Can Mediterranean Diet Have a Positive Impact on Kidney Health? A Pending Answer to a Long-Time Question

Dietary studies conducted in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients were focused on the quantities of single nutrients, however it is possible that the excessive attention put on the restriction of proteins, sodium, potassium and phosphorus may compromise the overall quality of the diet in terms of micronutrients and palatability. Instead, concentrating on the nutritional quality healthy dietary patterns, may provide a better approach to improve nutritional prescriptions in CKD patients. All these dietary regimens share common features as reduced content of red meat, salt and saturated fatty acids, and higher fiber content, but may differ in terms of single nutrients consumption. In particular, Mediterranean Diet (Med Diet) has been associated with reduced incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity, all conditions that are also strictly related to CKD. Given its low content of animal proteins and high contents of fiber it is possible that Med Diet may exert also positive effects on CKD as well as on its metabolic complications. In this review we summarize the role of Med Diet in primary prevention of CKD and on its progression.

Wine's Phenolic Compounds and Health: A Pythagorean View

In support of the J curve that describes the association between wine consumption and all-cause mortality, researchers and the lay press often advocate the health benefits of (poly)phenol consumption via red wine intake and cite the vast amount of in vitro literature that would corroborate the hypothesis. Other researchers dismiss such evidence and call for total abstention. In this review, we take a skeptical, Pythagorean stance and we critically try to move the debate forward by pointing the readers to the many pitfalls of red wine (poly)phenol research, which we arbitrarily treat as if they were pharmacological agents. We conclude that, after 30 years of dedicated research and despite the considerable expenditure, we still lack solid, "pharmacological", human evidence to confirm wine (poly)phenols' biological actions. Future research will eventually clarify their activities and will back the current recommendations of responsibly drinking moderate amounts of wine with meals.