Indices for evaluating sustainable and cardiovascular health-promoting diets: development, validation, and application

Author(s)

Leandro Teixeira Cacau

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP/CIR)
• Defense date: 2024-03-22

Examining board members

Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni; Ilana Nogueira Bezerra; Patrícia Constante Jaime; Maria Ines Schmidt

• Advisor: Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni; Eduardo De Carli

Abstract

Introduction: Dietary indices are useful tools to identify the overall dietary quality and to verify whether adherence to dietary recommendations has beneficial effects on health. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission proposed a sustainable diet model, while the American Heart Association (AHA) has dietary recommendations for promoting cardiovascular health. However, there are no indices based on these recommendations. Objective: To develop and validate two dietary indices based on the EAT-Lancet sustainable diet and AHA dietary recommendations and their application in analyzing associations with subclinical atherosclerosis. Methods: Data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), a multicenter cohort following 15,105 employees from six public teaching and research institutions, were used. Dietary intake was assessed through a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Subclinical atherosclerosis was assessed through coronary artery calcification score (CAC) at baseline (2008-2010) and the second wave (2012-2014) and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) at baseline and the third wave (2017-2019). For the development of the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), the recommendations of the EAT-Lancet Commission were used, and for the development of the Cardiovascular Health Diet Index (CHDI), the dietary recommendations of the American Heart Association were used. After index development, techniques of validity and internal reliability were employed. To assess factors associated with the indices, simple and multiple linear regression models were used. Poisson models with robust variance were constructed to assess the association between the indices and the incidence and progression of CAC, while mixed linear models were constructed to assess the indices and changes in IMT. Results: The population had a mean score of 60.4 points on the PHDI (out of a possible range of 0-150 points) and 57.1 points on the CHDI (out of a possible range of 0-110 points). Relative validity and reliability analyses demonstrated that both indices performed satisfactorily, showing good internal validity and reliability. It was observed that women, the elderly, individuals with higher per capita income, moderate and vigorous physical activity, on average, had higher scores. Conversely, smokers and overweight and obese individuals, on average, had lower scores on both indices. No significant associations were observed between the PHDI and CAC and IMT. However, after a mean follow-up period of 8 years, a 10-point increase in the CHDI was associated with a decrease of 0.0023 mm (95% CI -0.0045; -0.0002) in IMT. No association was observed between the CHDI score and the incidence and progression of CAC after a 4-year follow-up period. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the validity of the proposed indices as suitable tools for dietary assessment. It was possible to observe that adherence to sustainable diet and cardiovascular health-promoting recommendations is associated with sociodemographic and lifestyle conditions. Additionally, greater adherence to a cardioprotective diet is inversely associated with a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/13424-0 - Progression of subclinical Atherosclerosis markers and a priori eating patterns: an analysis to the longitudinal study in adult health (ELSA-Brazil)
• Grantee: Leandro Teixeira Cacau
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)