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Research Project: Interplay of Food and Nutrition Insecurity, Measured and Perceived Diet Quality, and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

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Title: Diet quality differences among participants with and without cardiometabolic risk factors, NHANES 2015-2020

Author
item Thomson, Jessica
item LANDRY, ALICIA - University Of Southern Mississippi
item Walls, Tameka

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Objectives: The objective was to quantify relationships between diet quality and cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: Analyses were conducted using 2 cycles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data 2015-2020 with appropriate statistical methods to account for the complex sampling design. Diet quality was based on 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores applied to 24-hour dietary recalls. Cardiometabolic risk factors included 5 dichotomized (yes/no) measures: elevated blood pressure (systolic =130 and diastolic >85 mm Hg), elevated triglycerides (=150 mg/dL), low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (<40 mg/dL males and <50 mg/dL females), elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) =5.7%, and central obesity (based on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry or waist circumference within body mass index category by race). Results: Total HEI score for the sample of 14,017 participants was 52.4. Participants with elevated blood pressure had lower total dairy (4.8 vs 5.1) but higher refined grains (6.6 vs 6.2) scores than those without elevated blood pressure. No diet quality differences were found between participants with and without elevated triglycerides. Participants with elevated HbA1c had a lower saturated fats (5.1 vs 5.4) score but higher total fruits (2.3 vs 2.1) and whole fruits (2.6 and 2.3) scores than participants without elevated HbA1c. Participants with low HDL cholesterol had lower total vegetables (3.1 vs 3.2), whole fruits (2.2 vs 2.4), seafood and plant protein (2.7 vs 2.9), fatty acids (4.6 vs 5.0), refined grains (5.8 vs 6.5), added sugars (6.5 vs 7.3), and total (50.4 vs 53.3) scores than participants without low HDL cholesterol. Participants with central obesity had lower greens and beans (1.8 vs 2.0) and saturated fats (5.2 vs 5.6) scores but higher whole grains (2.8 vs 2.5), sodium (4.3 vs 4.0), and refined grains (6.6 vs 5.8) scores than participants without central obesity. Conclusions: Participants with low HDL cholesterol had lower total and several component diet quality scores than their counterparts while diet quality differences were mixed for the other 4 cardiometabolic risk factors. Findings suggest some individuals with cardiometabolic risk may alter their eating patterns to avoid adverse health outcomes.