Mediterranean Diet and Atrial Fibrillation: Lessons Learned from the AFHRI Case-Control Study

Nutrients. 2022 Sep 1;14(17):3615. doi: 10.3390/nu14173615.

Abstract

A relationship between lifestyle, diet, and atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. Except for alcohol consumption, AF guidelines do not differentiate specific advice for this rhythm disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between adherence to healthy dietary patterns and the presence of AF, among 104 low risk participants from the 1:1 matched case-control AFHRI (Atrial Fibrillation in High-Risk Individuals) study. Dietary data were obtained using a three-day food record. Adapted German versions of the validated 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and the validated eight-item Healthy Eating Index (HEI) from the Epic Study served as the basis for data derivation. The median age of the study participants was 63.0 years, 73.1% were men. In multivariable adjusted binary logistic regression analyses, we found inverse associations between both dietary indices (MEDAS: Median = 3, HEI: Median = 54.9) and the presence of AF (odds ratio for MEDAS: 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.47-0.91, odds ratio for HEI: 0.60, 95% CI 0.39-0.95). Further clinical studies are needed to confirm the extent to which high quality dietary patterns such as a Mediterranean diet influence the onset and natural history of AF, in order to provide dietary counselling.

Keywords: German dietary guidelines; Healthy Eating Index; MEDAS; NT-proBNP; atrial fibrillation; cardiovascular disease; dietary patterns; mediterranean diet.

MeSH terms

  • Atrial Fibrillation* / epidemiology
  • Atrial Fibrillation* / etiology
  • Atrial Fibrillation* / prevention & control
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Diet, Healthy
  • Diet, Mediterranean*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Risk Factors

Grants and funding

R.B.S. received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 648131, from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 847770 (AFFECT-EU) and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK e.V.) (81Z1710103); German Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF 01ZX1408A) and ERACoSysMed3 (031L0239). R.B.S. received conference lecture fees from BMS/Pfizer outside this work. N.M. received conference lecture fees from Abbott Laboratories outside this work.