Longitudinal associations of the alternative healthy eating index with coronary artery calcification and pericardial adiposity in US adults with and without type 1 diabetes

Leigh Ann Richardson; Arpita Basu; Lung-Chang Chien; Tiantian Pang; Amy C Alman; Janet K Snell-Bergeon

doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2024.03.019

Longitudinal associations of the alternative healthy eating index with coronary artery calcification and pericardial adiposity in US adults with and without type 1 diabetes

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 Mar 20:S0939-4753(24)00122-4. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.03.019. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Leigh Ann Richardson¹, Arpita Basu², Lung-Chang Chien¹, Tiantian Pang³, Amy C Alman³, Janet K Snell-Bergeon⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, USA.
² Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, USA. Electronic address: Arpita.basu@unlv.edu.
³ College of Public Health, University of South Florida, USA.
⁴ Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, USA.

PMID: 38670920
DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.03.019

Abstract

Background and aim: Long-term associations between the alternative healthy eating index (AHEI) score and two predictive indicators for CVD, pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) volume, are lacking. Our study aims to investigate the longitudinal associations of the AHEI score with measures of CAC and PAT in adults with and without type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Methods and results: The prospective Coronary Artery Calcification in T1D (CACTI) study included 652 people with T1D and 764 people without diabetes (non-DM) (19-56 years old) and was conducted in 2000-2002, 2003-2004, and 2006-2007. At each visit, food frequency questionnaires were collected and PAT and CAC were measured using electron beam computed tomography. Two variables were used for CAC analyses: a continuous variable for the square-root tranformed volume (SRV) for each visit and a second variable identified CAC progression from baseline to visit 3. Mixed effect models and a logistic regression model were used to conduct statistical analyses. A one-point increase in the AHEI score was significantly associated with a -0.12 cm³ (95% CI: -0.17, -0.08; p-value<0.0001) decrease in PAT volume in combined analyses, a -0.16 cm³ (95% CI: -0.22, -0.09; p-value<0.0001) decrease in the non-DM group, a marginally significant -0.07 cm³ (95% CI: -0.14, 0.002; p-value = 0.0571) decrease in the T1D group, and was not associated with either CAC outcome.

Conclusion: The AHEI score is inversely associated with PAT; the association revealed greater magnitude of PAT reduction in the non-DM group. The AHEI score did not associate with CAC progression.

Keywords: Adipose tissue; Alternate healthy eating index; Atherosclerosis.

Copyright © 2024 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.