Vega-Cabello V, Al Hinai M, Yévenes-Briones H, Caballero FF, Lopez-García E, Baylin A. Plant-Based Diets and Risk of Multimorbidity: The Health and Retirement Study.
J Nutr 2024:S0022-3166(24)00240-2. [PMID:
38705471 DOI:
10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.04.037]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Plant-based diets have gained attention due to their beneficial effects against major chronic diseases, although their association with multimorbidity is mostly unknown.
OBJECTIVES
We examined the association between the healthful (hPDI) and unhealthful plant-based diet indices (uPDI) with multimorbidity among middle-aged and older adults from the United States.
METHODS
Data on 4262 adults aged >50 y was obtained from the 2012-2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and 2013 Health Care and Nutrition Study (HCNS). Food consumption was collected at baseline with a food frequency questionnaire and 2 PDIs were derived: the hPDI, with positive scores for healthy plant foods and reverse scores for less healthy plant foods and animal foods; and the uPDI, with only positive scoring for less healthy plant foods. Complex multimorbidity, defined as ≥3 coexistent conditions, was ascertained from 8 self-reported conditions: hypertension, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and depression. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS
After a median follow-up of 7.8 y, we documented 1202 incident cases of multimorbidity. Compared with the lowest quartile, higher adherence to the hPDI was inversely associated with multimorbidity (HR for quartile 3: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.96 and HR for quartile 4: 0.79; 95% CI, 0.63, 0.98; P-trend = 0.02). In addition, a 10-point increment in the hPDI was associated with a 11% lower incidence of multimorbidity (95% CI: 1, 20%). No significant associations were found for the uPDI after adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.
CONCLUSIONS
Higher adherence to the hPDI was inversely associated with multimorbidity among middle-aged and older adults. Plant-based diets that emphasize consumption of high-quality plant foods may help prevent the development of complex multimorbidity.
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