Association between dietary patterns and plasma biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular disease risk

Background: Although the effects of individual foods or nutrients on the de velopment of diseases and their risk factors have been investigated in many studies, little attention has been given to the effect of overall dietary patterns. Objective: Our objective was to examine the associations of 2 major dietary patterns, Western and prudent, with biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascul ar disease (CVD) risk. Design: We used factor analysis to define major dietary patterns for a subs ample of men (n = 466) from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study by usi ng dietary information collected from food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs) in 1994. We calculated partial correlation coefficients between pattern sco res and biomarker values adjusted for age, smoking status, energy and alcoh ol intake, physical activity, hours of television watching, and body mass i ndex. Results: We derived 2 major dietary patterns that were generally reproducib le over time. The first pattern (prudent) was characterized by higher intak es of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and poultry. The second pattern (Wes tern) was characterized by higher intakes of red meats, high-fat dairy prod ucts, and refined grains. Using pattern scores from 1994 and adjusting for potential confounders, we found significant positive correlations between t he Western pattern and insulin, C-peptide, leptin, and homocysteine concent rations, and an inverse correlation with plasma folate concentrations. The prudent pattern was positively correlated with plasma folate and inversely correlated with insulin and homocysteine concentrations. Conclusion: Major dietary patterns are predictors of plasma biomarkers of C VD and obesity risk, suggesting that the effect of overall diet on CVD risk may be mediated through these biomarkers.