ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: It is expected that dairy products such as cheeses, which are the main source of cholesterol and saturated fat, may lead to the development or increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; however, the results of different studies are inconsistent. This study was conducted to assess the association between cheese consumption and cardiovascular risk factors in an Iranian adult population. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Information from the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP) was used for this cross-sectional study with a total of 1,752 participants (782 men and 970 women). Weight, height, waist and hip circumference measurement, as well as fasting blood samples were gathered and biochemical assessments were done. To evaluate the dietary intakes of participants a validated food frequency questionnaire, consists of 49 items, was completed by expert technicians. Consumption of cheese was classified as less than 7 times per week and 7-14 times per week. RESULTS: Higher consumption of cheese was associated with higher C-Reactive Protein (CRP), apolipoprotein A and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level but not with fasting blood sugar (FBS), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG) and apolipoprotein B. Higher consumption of cheese was positively associated with consumption of liquid and solid oil, grain, pulses, fruit, vegetable, meat and dairy, and negatively associated with Global Dietary Index. After control for other potential confounders the association between cheese intake and metabolic syndrome (OR: 0.81; 96%CI: 0.71-0.94), low HDL-C level (OR: 0.87; 96%CI: 0.79-0.96) and dyslipidemia (OR: 0.88; 96%CI: 0.79-0.98) became negatively significant. CONCLUSION: This study found an inverse association between the frequency of cheese intake and cardiovascular risk factors; however, further prospective studies are required to confirm the present results and to illustrate its mechanisms.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Male , Apolipoproteins , Blood Glucose , C-Reactive Protein , Edible Grain , Cheese , Cholesterol , Cholesterol, HDL , Cholesterol, LDL , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dairy Products , Dyslipidemias , Fasting , Fruit , Heart , Hip , Meat , Metabolic Diseases , Surveys and Questionnaires , Risk Factors , Triglycerides , VegetablesABSTRACT
Background: stress has been considered as a highly common disorder that has a complicated relation with dietary intake and has been linked with both increased and decreased dietary intake
Objective: this study was conducted to assess the association between food consumption and stress levels in an Iranian adult population
Methods: in this cross-sectional study, data from the third phase of Isfahan Healthy Heart Program [IHHP] that was conducted for cardiovascular diseases prevention and health promotion were used. Nine thousand five hundred forty-nine adults aged = 18 years participated in the study. Dietary habits were assessed by a 49- item Food Frequency Questionnaire [FFQ]. Stress levels were assessed by General Health Questionnaire-12 [GHQ-12]. The participants were separated on the basis of their stress levels into two groups as the low- and high- stress groups
Results: individuals in the low- stress group were significantly younger and tended to have higher physical activity and education level, lower LDL cholesterol, and were less likely to be current smokers. Dietary intake of unsaturated oils, grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products was significantly higher in the low- stress group whereas dietary intake of saturated oils was significantly lower; moreover, Global Dietary Index [GDI] was lower in the low- stress group. We found a significant positive association between stress level, GDI [OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.14 1.35], and saturated oils [OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.08 1.28] and inverse association between stress level and intake of unsaturated oils [OR: 0.84 ; 95% CI: 0.77 0.91], fruits and vegetables [OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.76 0.90], meat [OR:0.88; 95% CI:0.82 0.97],and dairy products [OR: 0.88 ; 95% CI: 0.81 0.96] after adjustments based on sex, age, smoking, and physical activity
Conclusion: our results showed a significant positive association between dietary intake and stress. We must have a special attention to dietary intake in stress management program of high- stress individuals, and in dietary recommendations, psychologic aspects should be considered. However, prospective longitudinal studies are needed to assess the causal relationship between stress and dietary factors
ABSTRACT
Background: the incidence of cardiovascular disease [CVD] and its risk factors increase after menopause, thus realizing that the effect of menopause on womens health is becoming ever more vital
Objective: the aim of this study was to investigate the menopausal effect on cardiovascular risk factors in elevated triglycerides [TG] and waist circumference [WC] phenotype, and to compare this phenotype among pre- and postmenopausal women
Method: a total of 4146 women were randomly selected for this study from three districts of Isfahan, Arak, and Najafabad in Isfahan Healthy Heart Program [IHHP]. Anthropometric, physical, and biochemical factors were assessed using standard methods. All variables were studied based on the menopause status and the levels of TG and WC
Results: twenty-five point three percent of the postmenopausal women and 9.5% of the pre-menopausal women were hyper-TG/WC phenotype; however, the highest percent [77.1%] belonged to high-WC women in the postmenopausal group. In comparison with the postmenopausal women, the premenopausal women were more physically active, with higher education level, but lower BMI, WC, waist to hip ratio, and less likely to be smoker. In postmenopausal women, biochemical factors including fasting blood sugar and lipid profiles were significantly higher than the premenopausal women. There was no significant difference for multivariate-adjusted means of cardiovascular risk factors for menopause in different phenotypes of the WC and TG groups after adjustment for age and BMI
Conclusion: hyper- TG/WC phenotype was more prevalent in postmenopausal women and menopause is not independently associated with CVD risk factors
ABSTRACT
Background: potato, a high- glycemic index [GI] food, is one of the most widely used starchy foods worldwide. Previous studies on the association of dietary intakes with stroke have mostly focused on the dietary GI and there is no information regarding the association between potato consumption and risk of stroke. This case-control study was conducted to evaluate the association between potato consumption and risk of stroke in an Iranian adult population
Methods: in this case-control study, 195 patients with stroke, hospitalized in the Neurology Ward of Alzahra University Hospital and 195 controls from other wards of the hospital with convenience non-random sampling method were enrolled. To assess participants' dietary intakes, a validated food frequency questionnaire was used. Information on socioeconomic and demographic variables, physical activity pattern, and smoking were collected by the use of questionnaires. Logistic regression method in different models was applied to explore the associations between potato intake and stroke. First quartile of potato intake was used as a reference in all models. Mantel-Haenszel extension chi-square test was used to assess the overall trend across quartiles of potato consumption
Results: individuals with stroke were more likely to be male [60% vs. 46% , P < 0.05] and older [68.0 +/- 1.0 vs. 61.5 +/- 0.8 y, P < 0.001] as compared with controls. They had lower body mass index [BMI] [25.2 +/- 0.3 vs. 28.5 +/- 1.0 kg/m2, P < 0.05], and were less likely to be obese [11.3% vs. 29.2% , P < 0.001] compared with controls. The mean potato consumption was 31.1 +/- 3.4 and 23.4 +/- 1.3 g/d for cases and controls, respectively. Participants with the highest potato consumption were younger and more likely to be physically active. High potato consumption was associated with higher intakes of energy, fruits, vegetables, pulses, and grains. After adjustment for age, sex, and total energy intake, we found that individuals with the highest potato consumption were more likely to have stroke as compared with those with the lowest consumption [OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.0 3.6]. The correlation between physical activity and potato consumption was 0.03, P = 0.54 and that of smoking and potato intake was -0.004, P = 0.94. Even after additional control for smoking and physical activity, the association remained significant [OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.0 3.6]. Further adjustment for dietary intakes made the associations non significant [OR: 1.1; 95% CI: 0.5 2.5]. However, when BMI was taken into account in the final model, we found that individuals in the third quartile of potato consumption were significantly more likely to have stroke [OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.0 4.7]
Conclusion: we found evidence indicating that there is a marginally significant independent association between potato consumption and risk of stroke. Prospective studies are required to confirm this finding
ABSTRACT
Dietary habits play an important role in the prevention of chronic disease; however, few studies have assessed the major dietary patterns in Middle Eastern countries. This study identifies major dietary patterns among Iranian people with abnormal glucose homeostasis. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Diabetes Research Center, Isfahan, Iran among 425 subjects with abnormal glucose homeostasis. Patients were of ages 35 - 55 years and had family histories of diabetes. We assessed dietary intake by the use of a food frequency questionnaire [FFQ] that contained 39 food items. General obesity was defined as a BMI > 30 kg/m[2] and central obesity was defined as waist circumference [WC] > 88 in women and WC > 102 in men. Five major dietary patterns were revealed by factor analysis: 'western', 'healthy', Vegetarian', 'high-fat dairy', and 'chicken and plants'. Those in the top tertile of the 'western pattern' had greater odds for general [OR = 1.73; 95% Cl = 1.07 - 2.78] and central obesity [OR = 2, 95% Cl = 1.24 - 3.22], however these associations were not significant after adjustment for confounding variables. The 'high-fat dairy pattern' was associated with greater odds of general obesity only after adjusting for confounding variables [OR = 1.73; 95%CI = 1.01 -2.96]. The dietary pattern characterized by high intake of hydrogenated fat and sugar was shown to be positively associated with a risk of general and central obesity, however further prospective studies are required to confirm our findings