THURSDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Diets rich in high-fiber, low-fat, and low-sugar foods are favorably associated with markers of inflammation, whereas milk fat and sweets and cakes patterns are associated with adverse effects, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Joanna Hlebowicz, from the Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues investigated whether food patterns were associated with markers of systemic and vascular inflammation, and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a cohort of 4,999 individuals (aged 45 to 68 years) who participated in the Malmö Diet and Cancer cardiovascular program between 1991 and 1994, cluster analysis identified six food patterns from of 43 food group variables. Baseline blood samples were collected to measure lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), C-reactive protein concentration, and white blood cell (WBC) count. Incident CVD, including coronary events and ischemic stroke, was assessed over the 13-year follow-up period.
The investigators found that the fiber-rich bread pattern correlated with favorable effects on WBC counts in women, and low-fat and high-fiber pattern correlated with favorable effects on Lp-PLA2 mass in women and Lp-PLA2 activity in men. The milk fat pattern correlated with adverse effects on WBC count in women and Lp-PLA2 mass in men, whereas sweets and cakes patterns were adversely associated with WBC count and Lp-PLA2 mass in women. In women, milk fat and sweets and cakes patterns correlated with increased CVD risk.
"After 13 years of follow-up, an increased incidence of CVD was observed in women reporting dietary patterns dominated by milk fat or sweets and cakes," the authors write.
Abstract
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