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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #351360
Research Project: Dietary Guidelines Adherence and Healthy Body Weight Maintenance

Location: Healthy Body Weight Research

Title: Greater vegetable variety and amount are associated with lower prevalence of coronary heart disease: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2014

Author
item Conrad, Zachary
item Raatz, Susan
item Jahns, Lisa

Submitted to: Nutrition Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/2018
Publication Date: 7/10/2018
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6028969
Citation: Conrad, Z.S., Raatz, S.K., Jahns, L.A. 2018. Greater vegetable variety and amount are associated with lower prevalence of coronary heart disease and not with other cardiometabolic disease subtypes. Nutrition Journal. 17(1):67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-018-0376-4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-018-0376-4

Interpretive Summary: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides recommendations for achieving a healthy diet pattern, which includes consuming a variety of vegetables. However, few studies have examined the link between vegetable variety and heart disease. Therefore, we estimated the relationship between vegetable variety, vegetable amount, and heart disease. Data on food intake and disease status were acquired for 38,981 adults from a national survey conducted between1999-2014. Overall, vegetable variety decreased from 1999-2014, but vegetable amount remained stable. Increased vegetable variety and amount were associated with reduced likelihood of having heart disease. Increasing vegetable variety and amount remain important public health messages.

Technical Abstract: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provides specific intake recommendations for vegetable variety and amount in order to protect against chronic disease. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the link between DGA recommended vegetable variety and cardiometabolic disease. To address this research gap, we estimated the relationship between vegetable variety, vegetable amount, and prevalent cardiometabolic disease subtypes. Data on food intake and reported cardiometabolic disease status were acquired for 38,981 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2014). Vegetable variety was measured using a modified dietary diversity index that was adjusted for the potential confounding effects of vegetable amount. Temporal trends in vegetable variety and amount were assessed using univariate linear regression models. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationship between vegetable variety and prevalent disease, and between vegetable amount and prevalent disease. Overall, vegetable variety decreased (P=0.035) from 1999-2014, but vegetable amount did not (P=0.864). An inverse relationship was observed between vegetable variety and prevalent coronary heart disease (P-trend=0.032), and between vegetable amount and coronary heart disease (P-trend=0.026). Vegetable variety and amount were positively associated (P<0.001). Increasing vegetable variety and amount remain important public health messages.