Dietary Patterns, Anthropometry and Metabolic Cardiovascular Risk

Abstract

 Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Early detection of high-risk individuals is essential in order to adopt more effective preventive and therapeutic measures. One of the most controversial issues today is how to manage eating habits in order to establish the best diet: current data suggest that promotion of healthy eating habits—consumption of fruit and vegetables, limitation of fat intake to unsaturated fats—could help to significantly reduce the number of cardiovascular risk factors and the risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome, and that maintaining these measures over time could help maintain, and even reduce, body weight. Some recent studies, likes DORICA study analyzes the association between the predominant dietary patterns and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. The hypothesis is that the most traditional consumption patterns (for example the Mediterranean diet) are associated with a healthier cardiovascular profile in the Spanish adult population. The results of DORICA revealed that energy intake was 2560 (797) kcal in men and 2230 (665) kcal in women, and that fats accounted for 39.3% of energy intake in women and 37% in men. In other words, 47% of men and 64% of women have fat intakes that are above the recommended levels. In addition, 87% have cholesterol levels above 100 mg/1000 kcal, especially men younger than 45 years (89%). This study analyze 3 types of dietary patterns: I) high-protein pattern, with a high consumption of meat, cereals, potatoes, and alcoholic drinks; II) unbalanced pattern, with a high consumption of milk and its derivatives, and a low consumption of fruit, cereals, vegetables, and potatoes; and III) Mediterranean pattern, with a high consumption of fish, vegetables, fruit, and olive oil. The results show that the Mediterranean pattern consumed more unsaturated fats than the other two, in terms of both the mean and for the quartiles. SF intake, on the other hand, was lower in this pattern, which also had the smallest values for the Keys and Hegsted indices. The highest values for these indices were observed in the high-protein pattern. The same was true for cholesterol intake. The Mediterranean pattern had the highest intake of fiber. The study concluded that, in terms of nutrition and eating habits, the Mediterranean pattern was characterized by a higher intake of fats, although these were mainly unsaturated, with a clear predominance of MUF. Fiber intake was good, with a high consumption of fruit, vegetables, and fish. This pattern also had the lowest number of smokers. On the contrary, the unbalanced pattern had the least favorable cardiovascular profile, with a predominance of SFs. In summary, this phase of the DORICA study suggests that a Mediterranean-type diet—with increased intake of fruit, vegetables, fish, and olive oil, in combination with moderate physical activity—is the most favorable profile in terms of the weighted estimates and of cardiovascular risk factors in our setting.