In a recent study published within the European Journal of Nutrition, scientists investigate the association between food plan and cardiometabolic multimorbidity risk amongst British men between the ages of 60 and 79. To this end, consuming more seafood and fish was linked to a lower risk of first cardiometabolic disease transitioning to cardiometabolic multimorbidity.

Study: Prospective associations between food plan quality, dietary components, and risk of cardiometabolic multimorbidity in older British men. Image Credit: fizkes / Shutterstock.com

How food plan affects heart health

Cardiometabolic multimorbidity is the co-occurrence of multiple cardiometabolic diseases comparable to type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Since age is considered one of the danger aspects for cardiometabolic diseases, the worldwide prevalence of cardiometabolic multimorbidity is increasing with the aging population.

Other aspects, including healthcare costs, impaired quality of life, medical treatments, and the danger of mortality, are additive for every cardiometabolic disease during multimorbidity. The occurrence of 1 cardiometabolic condition can even increase the potential risk of one other cardiometabolic disease.

Evidence from various studies has indicated that dietary quality and components are related to the danger of individual cardiometabolic diseases. High-quality diets comparable to the Mediterranean food plan have been linked to a lower risk of acute myocardial infarction, type 2 diabetes, and unspecified stroke.

An increased intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and seafood has also been linked to a lower risk of stroke and, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the association between food plan and the incidence of cardiometabolic multimorbidity.

Concerning the study

In the current study, scientists used a cohort of men who were registered within the British Regional Heart Study conducted between 1978 and 1980. A 20-year follow-up on a subset of the participants was also performed between 1998 and 2000.

Baseline data was gathered using a questionnaire that collected information on sociodemographic aspects, general lifestyles, medications, and health. A food frequency questionnaire and physical examinations were also used to assemble data.

The study excluded individuals with diagnosed type 2 diabetes and a history of stroke or myocardial infarction at baseline, in addition to those for whom demographic data or dietary information was unavailable. The food frequency questionnaire utilized in the study was designed for the World Health Organization to watch the determinants and trends of heart problems and was validated for the British population.

The elderly dietary index (EDI) was calculated using data from the food frequency questionnaire. Consumption frequency was used to assign a rating on a four-point scale, with a rating of 1 indicating the least adherence to dietary recommendations and a rating of 4 indicating the healthiest levels of food intake frequencies for every food group.

Events of stroke, myocardial infarction, type 2 diabetes, and death were followed up among the many participants. Reviews and reports from the overall practitioner were used to determine non-fatal cardiometabolic diseases, while National Health Service records on death information were used to find out fatal strokes and myocardial infarctions.

Baseline information obtained using the questionnaire on aspects comparable to smoking behavior, physical activity levels, use of lipid-lowering medications, and alcohol intake was used to find out covariates.

Study findings

No significant associations were observed between dietary patterns, quality, or composition and the danger of cardiometabolic multimorbidity amongst older male British adults. Nevertheless, increased seafood and fish consumption were linked to a lower risk of the primary cardiometabolic disease progressing to a cardiometabolic multimorbidity.

The insignificant association between food plan and the danger of cardiometabolic multimorbidity may very well be as a consequence of various aspects. For instance, the low variety of cardiometabolic multimorbidity cases within the cohort and physiological changes amongst older adults can have led to weaker associations between heart problems and risk aspects comparable to levels of cholesterol and blood pressure.

Moreover, the study design involved calculating the danger estimate of cardiometabolic multimorbidity from the primary myocardial infarction event amongst participants who survived the primary event. Thus, the cardiometabolic multimorbidity risk estimate may not have considered participants in lower EDDI quartiles who may not have survived the primary myocardial infarction event.

Conclusions

No significant associations were observed between EDI and the danger of cardiometabolic multimorbidity amongst older British males.

Nevertheless, the consumption of seafood and fish one to 2 days each week was inversely related to the danger of cardiometabolic multimorbidity. Further analyses using multi-state models suggest that seafood and fish consumption protects against first cardiometabolic disease transitioning to cardiometabolic multimorbidity.