Effect of Dietary Patterns on Vascular Aging Using the Brachial-Ankle Index

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Nutritional Science
• Aging Research

Background:

• Vascular aging is a significant factor in cardiovascular disease risk.
• The Mediterranean diet (MD) is recognized for its potential to mitigate age-related vascular changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and vascular aging.
• To assess vascular aging using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV).
• To explore sex-based differences in this association within a Spanish population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 3437 participants from the EVA, MARK, and EVIDENT cohorts.
• Vascular aging was categorized into healthy (HVA), normal (NVA), and early (EVA) vascular aging.
• Adherence to the MD was measured using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener; ba-PWV was measured using the Vasera VS-1500 device.

Main Results:

• Higher adherence to the MD was positively associated with both healthy vascular aging (HVA) and normal vascular aging (NVA) across the general population.
• These associations were significant in both women and men, with specific odds ratios reported for HVA vs. NVA and HVA vs. EVA.
• The study found statistically significant positive associations between MD adherence and healthier vascular aging categories in both sexes.

Conclusions:

• Increased adherence to the Mediterranean diet is significantly associated with healthier vascular aging.
• These findings highlight the protective role of the MD in maintaining vascular health throughout the aging process.