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Published on: May 31, 2016
Association between dietary vitamin C and abdominal aortic calcification among the US adults
Jundi Jia1,2, Jie Zhang3, Qiao He4
1Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Insights
Higher dietary vitamin C intake is linked to reduced abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and lower risk of vascular disease. Vitamin C supplements did not show a significant association with AAC in US adults.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality globally.
- Vascular calcification, particularly abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), is a strong predictor of CVD events.
- The association between vitamin C intake and AAC remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between dietary vitamin C intake and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in the U.S. adult population.
- To differentiate the effects of dietary vitamin C from vitamin C supplements on AAC.
- To assess the impact of vitamin C on the risk of developing AAC.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 data.
- Inclusion of 2297 adult subjects, with AAC measured using the Kauppila (24-point) and Schousboe (8-point) scales.
- Weighted multiple regression analyses and generalized additive models (GAM) were used to evaluate associations between dietary vitamin C tertiles and AAC scores/risk, alongside exploratory analysis of vitamin C supplements.
Main Results:
- Higher dietary vitamin C intake was significantly associated with lower AAC scores (AAC-24: β = -0.338, P = 0.004; AAC-8: β = -0.132, P = 0.002).
- Increased dietary vitamin C intake correlated with a reduced risk of having AAC (OR = 0.807, P = 0.038).
- No significant relationship was found between vitamin C supplement intake and AAC.
Conclusions:
- Dietary vitamin C intake, but not vitamin C supplements, is inversely associated with abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in U.S. adults.
- Diets rich in vitamin C may offer protective benefits against vascular calcification and subsequent CVD.
- Further research into the specific mechanisms of dietary vitamin C in vascular health is warranted.
Background:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality, and vascular calcification has been highly correlated with CVD events. Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) has been shown to predict subclinical CVD and incident CVD events. However, the relationship between vitamin C and abdominal aortic calcification remains unclear.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship of dietary vitamin C with AAC among the adult population in the US.
Methods:
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 provided the data for the cross-sectional study. 2297 subjects (1089 males) were included in the study. Two scoring systems, AAC 24-point scale (Kauppila) and AAC 8-point scale (Schousboe), were used for the measurement of AAC score. Dietary vitamin C intake was calculated as the average of two rounds of 24-h interview recall data and classified in tertiles for analysis. We applied weighted multiple regression analyses to assess the relationship of dietary vitamin C with AAC score and the risk of having AAC. To ensure the robustness of the findings, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Additionally, smooth curve fittings, using generalized additive models (GAM) were employed to visualize potential nonlinear relationships. Furthermore, an exploratory analysis on the relationship of vitamin C supplements with AAC was also conducted.
Results:
The results showed that higher dietary vitamin C intake was related to a reduction in AAC score (AAC-24: β = -0.338, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.565, -0.111, P = 0.004; AAC-8: β = -0.132, 95%CI -0.217, -0.047, P = 0.002), and lower risk of AAC (odds ratio [OR] = 0.807, 95%CI 0.659, 0.989, P = 0.038). However, the relationship of vitamin C supplements with AAC was not identified.
Conclusions:
The study revealed that higher intake of dietary vitamin C rather than vitamin C supplements was related to reduced AAC score and lower risk of AAC, indicating that diets rich in vitamin C are recommended due to its potential benefits for protecting against vascular calcification and CVD among the adult population in the US.
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