Associations of a plant-centered diet and lung function across early to mid-adulthood: The CARDIA Lung Study.

BACKGROUND: Lung function throughout adulthood predicts morbidity and mortality even among adults without chronic respiratory disease. Diet quality may represent a modifiable risk factor for lung function impairment later in life. We investigated associations between nutritionally-rich plant-centered diet and lung function across early and middle adulthood from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. METHODS: Diet was assessed at baseline and years 7 and 20 of follow-up using the validated CARDIA diet history questionnaire. Plant-centered diet quality was scored using the validated A Priori Diet Quality Score (APDQS), which weights food groups to measure adherence to a nutritionally-rich plant-centered diet for 20 beneficially rated foods and 13 adversely rated foods. Scores were cumulatively averaged over follow-up and categorized into quintiles. The primary outcome was lung function decline, including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), measured at years 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30. We estimated the association of APDQS with annual pulmonary function changes and cross-sectional differences in a repeated measures regression model, adjusting for clinically relevant covariates. RESULTS: The study included 3,787 Black and White men and women aged 18-30 in 1985-86 and followed for 30 years. In multivariable repeated measures regression models, individuals in the lowest APDQS quintile (poorest diet) had declines in FEV1 that were 1.6 ml/year greater than individuals in the highest quintile (35.0 vs. 33.4 ml/year, ß ± SE per 1 SD change APDQS 0.94 ± 0.36, p = 0.009). Additionally, declines in FVC were 2.4 ml/year greater in the lowest APDQS quintile than those in the highest quintile (37.0 vs 34.6 ml/year, ß ± SE per 1 SD change APDQS 1.71 ± 0.46, p < 0.001). The association was not different between never and ever smokers (pint = 0.07 for FVC and 0.32 for FEV1). In sensitivity analyses where current asthma diagnosis and cardiorespiratory fitness were further adjusted, results remained similar. Cross-sectional analysis at each exam year also showed significant differences in lung function according to diet after covariate adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: In this 30-year longitudinal cohort study, long-term adherence to a nutritionally-rich plant-centered diet was associated with cross-sectional differences in lung function as well as slower decline in lung function, highlighting diet quality as a potential treatable trait supporting long-term lung health.

Trauma and mental health among North Korean refugees living in South Korea: The role of acculturative stress.

The psychological impact of indirect trauma is unknown among North Korean (NK) refugees. We aimed to investigate the effects of direct and indirect trauma on the mental health of NK refugees in South Korea and evaluate the potential moderating effect of acculturative stress in this association. Using respondent-driven sampling, we recruited 323 NK refugees for this retrospective study. We measured exposure to direct and indirect trauma as independent variables, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and symptoms of depression and anxiety as dependent variables. After implementing multivariate imputation using chained equations, the associations between trauma type and psychological outcomes were assessed using ordinary least squares regression analyses, controlling for demographic covariates; the potential effect modification of acculturative stress was studied by adding an interaction term to the analyses. PTSS and symptoms of depression and anxiety were significantly associated with exposure to both direct, Bs = 0.24, 0.16, 0.19, respectively, p < .001s, and indirect trauma, Bs = 0.13, 0.08, 0.07, respectively, ps < .001. Although we did not observe significant effect modification, the magnitude of association between indirect trauma and PTSS significantly differed between the high, B = 0.18, p < .001, and low acculturative stress groups, B = 0.08, p = .024. These findings suggest that indirect trauma is associated with a more severe mental health consequence among NK refugees who experience high acculturative stress. Efforts to mitigate acculturative stress may reduce the mental health consequences of indirect trauma exposure.

A Guide to Dietary Pattern-Microbiome Data Integration.

The human gut microbiome is linked to metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk. Dietary modulation of the human gut microbiome offers an attractive pathway to manipulate the microbiome to prevent microbiome-related disease. However, this promise has not been realized. The complex system of diet and microbiome interactions is poorly understood. Integrating observational human diet and microbiome data can help researchers and clinicians untangle the complex systems of interactions that predict how the microbiome will change in response to foods. The use of dietary patterns to assess diet-microbiome relations holds promise to identify interesting associations and result in findings that can directly translate into actionable dietary intake recommendations and eating plans. In this article, we first highlight the complexity inherent in both dietary and microbiome data and introduce the approaches generally used to explore diet and microbiome simultaneously in observational studies. Second, we review the food group and dietary pattern-microbiome literature focusing on dietary complexity-moving beyond nutrients. Our review identified a substantial and growing body of literature that explores links between the microbiome and dietary patterns. However, there was very little standardization of dietary collection and assessment methods across studies. The 54 studies identified in this review used ≥7 different methods to assess diet. Coupled with the variation in final dietary parameters calculated from dietary data (e.g., dietary indices, dietary patterns, food groups, etc.), few studies with shared methods and assessment techniques were available for comparison. Third, we highlight the similarities between dietary and microbiome data structures and present the possibility that multivariate and compositional methods, developed initially for microbiome data, could have utility when applied to dietary data. Finally, we summarize the current state of the art for diet-microbiome data integration and highlight ways dietary data could be paired with microbiome data in future studies to improve the detection of diet-microbiome signals.

A Plant-Centered Diet and Markers of Early Chronic Kidney Disease during Young to Middle Adulthood: Findings from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated whether plant-centered diets prevent progression of early stage chronic kidney disease (CKD). OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between plant-centered diet quality and early CKD markers. METHODS: We prospectively examined 2869 black and white men and women in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study free of diagnosed kidney failure in 2005-2006 [examination year 20 (Y20); mean age: 45.3 ± 3.6  y]. CKD marker changes from Y20 to 2015-2016 (Y30) were considered, including estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; serum creatinine), urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), and both. Diet was assessed through interviewer-administered diet histories at Y0, Y7, and Y20, and plant-centered diet quality was quantified with the A Priori Diet Quality Score (APDQS). Linear regression models were used to examine the association of APDQS and subsequent 10-y changes in CKD markers. RESULTS: After adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral, and diet factors, we found that higher APDQS was related to less adverse changes in CKD markers in the subsequent 10-y period. Compared with the lowest APDQS quintile, the highest quintile was associated with an attenuated increase in lnACR (-0.25 mg/g; 95% CI: -0.37, -0.13 mg/g; P-trend < 0.001), whereas the highest quintile was associated with an attenuated decrease in eGFR (4.45 mL·min-1·1.73 m-2; 95% CI: 2.46, 6.43 mL·min-1·1.73 m-2). There was a 0.50 lower increase in combined CKD markers [ln(ACR) z score - eGFR z score] when comparing the extreme quintiles. Associations remained similar after further adjustment for hypertension, diabetes, and obesity as potential mediating factors. The attenuated worsening CKD marker changes associated with higher APDQS strengthened across increasing initial CKD category; those with the best diet and microalbuminuria in Y10-Y20 returned to high normal albuminuria (all P-interaction < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who consumed plant-centered, high-quality diets were less likely to experience deterioration of kidney function through midlife, especially among participants with initial stage characterized as mild CKD.

Metabolically Healthy Obesity and Development of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among obese persons without obesity-related metabolic abnormalities, called metabolically healthy obesity, is largely unexplored. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk for incident CKD across categories of body mass index in a large cohort of metabolically healthy men and women. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Kangbuk Samsung Health Study, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. PARTICIPANTS: 62 249 metabolically healthy, young and middle-aged men and women without CKD or proteinuria at baseline. MEASUREMENTS: Metabolic health was defined as a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance less than 2.5 and absence of any component of the metabolic syndrome. Underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity were defined as a body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2, 18.5 to 22.9 kg/m2, 23 to 24.9 kg/m2, and 25 kg/m2 or greater, respectively. The outcome was incident CKD, defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. RESULTS: During 369 088 person-years of follow-up, 906 incident CKD cases were identified. The multivariable-adjusted differences in 5-year cumulative incidence of CKD in underweight, overweight, and obese participants compared with normal-weight participants were -4.0 (95% CI, -7.8 to -0.3), 3.5 (CI, 0.9 to 6.1), and 6.7 (CI, 3.0 to 10.4) cases per 1000 persons, respectively. These associations were consistently seen in all clinically relevant subgroups. LIMITATION: Chronic kidney disease was identified by a single measurement at each visit. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased incidence of CKD in metabolically healthy young and middle-aged participants. These findings show that metabolically healthy obesity is not a harmless condition and that the obese phenotype, regardless of metabolic abnormalities, can adversely affect renal function. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: None.

Sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption and coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic men and women.

BACKGROUND: Sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption has been linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and clinically manifest coronary heart disease, but its association with subclinical coronary heart disease remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption and coronary artery calcium (CAC) in a large study of asymptomatic men and women. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 22,210 adult men and women who underwent a comprehensive health screening examination between 2011 and 2013 (median age 40 years). Sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and CAC was measured by cardiac computed tomography. Multivariable-adjusted CAC score ratios and 95% CIs were estimated from robust Tobit regression models for the natural logarithm (CAC score +1). RESULTS: The prevalence of detectable CAC (CAC score >0) was 11.7% (n = 2,604). After adjustment for age; sex; center; year of screening examination; education level; physical activity; smoking; alcohol intake; family history of cardiovascular disease; history of hypertension; history of hypercholesterolemia; and intake of total energy, fruits, vegetables, and red and processed meats, only the highest category of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption was associated with an increased CAC score compared with the lowest consumption category. The multivariable-adjusted CAC ratio comparing participants who consumed ≥5 sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages per week with nondrinkers was 1.70 (95% CI, 1.03-2.81). This association did not differ by clinical subgroup, including participants at low cardiovascular risk. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that high levels of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption are associated with a higher prevalence and degree of CAC in asymptomatic adults without a history of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes.

Sleep Duration, Sleep Quality, and Markers of Subclinical Arterial Disease in Healthy Men and Women.

OBJECTIVE: Short and long sleep duration are associated with increased risk of clinical cardiovascular events, but the association between sleep duration and subclinical cardiovascular disease is not well established. We examined the association between sleep duration and sleep quality with coronary artery calcification (CAC) and with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) in a large sample of young and middle-aged asymptomatic adults. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult men and women who underwent a health checkup examination, including assessment of sleep duration and quality and coupled with either CAC (n=29 203) or brachial-ankle PWV (n=18 106). The multivariate-adjusted CAC score ratios (95% confidence interval) comparing sleep durations of ≤5, 6, 8, and ≥9 hours with 7 hours of sleep were 1.50 (1.17-1.93), 1.34 (1.10-1.63), 1.37 (0.99-1.89), and 1.72 (0.90-3.28), respectively (P for quadratic trend=0.002). The corresponding average differences in brachial-ankle PWV were 6.7 (0.75-12.6), 2.9 (-1.7 to 7.4), 10.5 (4.5-16.5), and 9.6 (-0.7 to 19.8) cm/s, respectively (P for quadratic trend=0.019). Poor subjective sleep quality was associated with CAC in women but not in men, whereas the association between poor subjective sleep quality and brachial-ankle PWV was stronger in men than in women. CONCLUSIONS: In this large study of apparently healthy men and women, extreme sleep duration and poor subjective sleep quality were associated with increased prevalence of CAC and higher PWV. Our results underscore the importance of an adequate quantity and quality of sleep to maintain cardiovascular health.

Dietary sodium and potassium intake in relation to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

A few epidemiological data are available assessing the associations of intakes of sodium (Na) and potassium (K) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to examine the associations of dietary intake of Na and K with the prevalence of ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD. We performed a cross-sectional study of 100 177 participants (46 596 men and 53 581 women) who underwent a health screening examination and completed a FFQ at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Centers, South Korea, between 2011 and 2013. NAFLD was defined by ultrasonographic detection of fatty liver in the absence of excessive alcohol intake or other known causes of liver disease. The proportion of NAFLD was 35·6 % for men and 9·8 % for women. Increasing prevalence of NAFLD was observed with increasing Na intake. The multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) of NAFLD comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of energy-adjusted Na intake were 1·25 (95 % CI 1·18, 1·32; P trend<0·001) in men and 1·32 (95 % CI 1·18, 1·47; P trend <0·001) in women. However, when we additionally adjusted for body fat percentage, the association became attenuated; the corresponding PR of NAFLD were 1·15 (95 % CI 1·09, 1·21) in men and 1·06 (95 % CI 0·95, 1·17) in women. No inverse association was observed for energy-adjusted K intake. Our findings suggest that higher Na intake is associated with a greater prevalence of NAFLD in young and middle-aged asymptomatic adults, which might be partly mediated by adiposity.

Relationship of sitting time and physical activity with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The goal of this study was to examine the association of sitting time and physical activity level with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Korean men and women and to explore whether any observed associations were mediated by adiposity. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed on 139,056 Koreans, who underwent a health examination between March 2011 and December 2013. Physical activity level and sitting time were assessed using the validated Korean version of the international Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form. The presence of fatty liver was determined using ultrasonographic findings. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to evaluate the association of sitting time and physical activity level with NAFLD. RESULTS: Of the 139,056 subjects, 39,257 had NAFLD. In a multivariable-adjusted model, both prolonged sitting time and decreased physical activity level were independently associated with increasing prevalence of NAFLD. The prevalence ratios (95% CIs) for NAFLD comparing 5-9 and ⩾10 h/day sitting time to <5h/day were 1.04 (1.02-1.07) and 1.09 (1.06-1.11), respectively (p for trend <0.001). These associations were still observed in subjects with BMI <23 kg/m(2). The prevalence ratios (95% CIs) for NAFLD comparing minimally active and health-enhancing physically active groups to the inactive group were 0.94 (0.92-0.95) and 0.80 (0.78-0.82), respectively (p for trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged sitting time and decreased physical activity level were positively associated with the prevalence of NAFLD in a large sample of middle-aged Koreans, supporting the importance of reducing time spent sitting in addition to promoting physical activity.

Age at menarche and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The goal of this study was to examine the association between age at menarche and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Korean women and to explore whether any observed associations were mediated by adult adiposity. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed for 95,183 Korean women, aged 30 or older, who underwent a regular health screening examination between March 2011 and April 2013. Information regarding age at menarche was collected using standardized, self-administered questionnaires. The presence of fatty liver was determined using ultrasonographic findings. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to evaluate the association between age at menarche and NAFLD. RESULTS: Of the 76,415 women evaluated in this study, 9601 had NAFLD. Age at menarche was inversely associated with the prevalence of NAFLD. In a multivariable-adjusted model, the prevalence ratios (95% CIs) for NAFLD comparing menarche at <12, 12, 14, 15, and 16-18 years to menarche at 13 years were 1.31 (1.18-1.45), 1.05 (0.97-1.13), 0.93 (0.87-0.99), 0.87 (0.82-0.93), and 0.78 (0.73-0.84), respectively (p for trend <0.001). Adjusting for adult BMI or percent fat mass (%) substantially reduced these associations; however, they remained statistically significant. The association between age at menarche and NAFLD was modified by age. CONCLUSIONS: We identified an inverse association between age at menarche and NAFLD in a large sample of middle-aged women. This association was partially mediated by adiposity. The findings of this study suggest that obesity prevention strategies are needed in women who undergo early menarche to reduce the risk of NAFLD.

Vegetable intake, but not fruit intake, is associated with a reduction in the risk of cancer incidence and mortality in middle-aged Korean men.

BACKGROUND: Few prospective studies have examined the preventive role of fruit and vegetable intakes against cancer in Asian populations. OBJECTIVE: This prospective study evaluated the associations between total fruit intake, total vegetable intake, and total fruit and vegetable intake and total cancer incidence and mortality. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 14,198 men 40-59 y of age enrolled in the Seoul Male Cohort Study from 1991 to 1993. Fruit and vegetable intakes were assessed by a validated food-frequency questionnaire. We used Cox proportional hazard regression models to compute RR ratios and 95% CIs. RESULTS: During the follow-up period from 1993 to 2008, 1343 men were diagnosed with cancer, and 507 died of cancer. Total vegetable intake was linearly associated with cancer incidence but was nonlinearly associated with cancer mortality; by comparing ≥ 500 g/d with <100 g/d of total vegetable intake, the multivariable-adjusted RR for total cancer incidence was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.90; P-trend: 0.02; P-nonlinearity: 0.06). For total cancer mortality, the multivariable-adjusted RRs comparing 100 to <200 g/d, 200 to <300 g/d, 300 to <500 g/d, and ≥ 500 g/d with <100 g/d of total vegetable intake were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.88), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.98), 0.72 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.95), and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.95), respectively (P-trend: 0.09; P-nonlinearity: 0.01). No associations were found between total fruit intake and total cancer incidence and mortality; ≥ 300 g/d vs. <50 g/d, RR: 1.04 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.25; P-trend = 0.56) for incidence and RR: 0.89 (95% CI: 0.66, 1.21; P-trend = 0.71) for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that total vegetable intake is linearly associated with cancer incidence but nonlinearly associated with total cancer mortality in middle-aged Korean men. However, total fruit intake is not associated with total cancer incidence or mortality.

Dietary intake of calcium and phosphorus and serum concentration in relation to the risk of coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic adults.

OBJECTIVE: The current data regarding the association between calcium and phosphorus and cardiovascular disease are lacking. The aim of this study was to explore whether dietary calcium and phosphorus intake and their serum levels are associated with the prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) using cardiac computed tomography in asymptomatic participants without a history of chronic kidney disease or cardiovascular disease. APPROACH AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 23 652 Korean participants (40.8±7.3 years, male 83.5%) without chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate≥60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) or clinically overt cardiovascular disease, who underwent cardiac computed tomographic estimation of CAC scores as part of a general health checkup in addition to completing a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. We assessed the relationship of dietary calcium and phosphorus intake and serum levels with CAC scores using both multivariate-adjusted Tobit models and multinomial logistic regression models. Neither dietary calcium nor phosphorus intake was consistently associated with CAC scores. However, the serum calcium, phosphorus, and calcium-phosphorus product levels were significantly associated with the CAC score ratios. In multivariable-adjusted models, the CAC score ratios (95% confidence intervals) comparing the highest quartiles of serum calcium, phosphorus, and calcium-phosphorus product levels to the lowest quartiles were 1.89 (1.36-2.64), 3.33 (2.55-4.35), and 3.98 (3.00-5.28), respectively (P for trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, and calcium-phosphorus product, but not dietary consumption, are associated with increased CAC scores. Our findings should be explored in further research.

Longitudinal clustering of Life's Essential 8 health metrics: application of a novel unsupervised learning method in the CARDIA study.

OBJECTIVE: Changes in cardiovascular health (CVH) during the life course are associated with future cardiovascular disease (CVD). Longitudinal clustering analysis using subgraph augmented non-negative matrix factorization (SANMF) could create phenotypic risk profiles of clustered CVH metrics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Life's Essential 8 (LE8) variables, demographics, and CVD events were queried over 15 ears in 5060 CARDIA participants with 18 years of subsequent follow-up. LE8 subgraphs were mined and a SANMF algorithm was applied to cluster frequently occurring subgraphs. K-fold cross-validation and diagnostics were performed to determine cluster assignment. Cox proportional hazard models were fit for future CV event risk and logistic regression was performed for cluster phenotyping. RESULTS: The cohort (54.6% female, 48.7% White) produced 3 clusters of CVH metrics: Healthy & Late Obesity (HLO) (29.0%), Healthy & Intermediate Sleep (HIS) (43.2%), and Unhealthy (27.8%). HLO had 5 ideal LE8 metrics between ages 18 and 39 years, until BMI increased at 40. HIS had 7 ideal LE8 metrics, except sleep. Unhealthy had poor levels of sleep, smoking, and diet but ideal glucose. Race and employment were significantly different by cluster (P < .001) but not sex (P = .734). For 301 incident CV events, multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) for HIS and Unhealthy were 0.73 (0.53-1.00, P = .052) and 2.00 (1.50-2.68, P < .001), respectively versus HLO. A 15-year event survival was 97.0% (HIS), 96.3% (HLO), and 90.4% (Unhealthy, P < .001). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: SANMF of LE8 metrics identified 3 unique clusters of CVH behavior patterns. Clustering of longitudinal LE8 variables via SANMF is a robust tool for phenotypic risk assessment for future adverse cardiovascular events.

Longitudinal changes in diet quality and food intake before and after diabetes awareness in American adults: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

INTRODUCTION: Limited longitudinal research is available examining how American adults make dietary changes after learning they have diabetes. We examined the associations between diabetes awareness and changes in dietary quality and food intake in a prospective cohort from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A nested case-control design was used. In the original CARDIA study, black and white participants were recruited from four US urban areas and partitioned into one control group (no diabetes over 30-year follow-up) and three case groups (early-onset, intermediate-onset, later-onset diabetes groups) based on timing of diagnosis and first awareness of diabetes. Estimated mean A Priori Diet Quality Score (APDQS), and food subgroup intake were examined at three CARDIA examinations (year (Y)0, Y7, and Y20). The mean APDQS with 95% CIs and food intake (servings/day) were compared across the one control group and three case groups using exam-specific and repeated measures linear regression. RESULTS: Among 4576 participants (mean age: 25±4 years; 55% female; 49% black race), 653 incident cases (14.3%) of diabetes were observed over 30 years. APDQS was lowest at Y0 when the diabetes-free participants were aged 18-30 years (61.5-62.8), but increased over 20 years with advancing age across all groups (64.6-73.3). Lower APDQS in young adulthood was associated with a higher incidence of diabetes later in life. Diabetes awareness was associated with a net increase of 2.95 points in APDQS. The greatest increase of APDQS was when people learned of their diabetes for the first time (an increase of 5.71 in early-onset and 6.64 in intermediate-onset diabetes groups, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Advancing age and diabetes awareness were associated with more favorable dietary changes leading to improved diet quality. Optimal diet quality and healthy food intake in young adulthood seem important to prevent diabetes later in life.

A Plant-Centered Diet is Inversely Associated With Radiographic Emphysema: Findings from the CARDIA Lung Study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant public health concern and intercepting the development of emphysema is vital for COPD prevention. Smokers are a high-risk population for emphysema with limited prevention strategies. We aimed to determine if adherence to a nutritionally rich, plant-centered diet among young ever-smokers is associated with reduced risk of future radiographic emphysema. Methods: We studied participants from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Lung Prospective Cohort Study who were 18-30 years old at enrollment and followed for 30 years. We analyzed 1706 adults who reported current or former smoking by year 20. Repeated measures of diet history were used to calculate A Priori Diet Quality Scores (APDQSs), and categorized into quintiles, with higher quintiles representing higher nutritionally rich plant-centered food intake. Emphysema was assessed at year 25 (n=1351) by computed tomography (CT). Critical covariates were selected, acknowledging potential residual confounding. Results: Emphysema was observed in 13.0% of the cohort, with a mean age of 50.4 ± 3.5 years. The prevalence of emphysema was 4.5% in the highest APDQS quintile (nutritionally rich), compared with 25.4% in the lowest quintile. After adjustment for multiple covariates, including smoking, greater adherence to a plant-centered diet was inversely associated with emphysema (highest versus lowest quintile odds ratio: 0.44, 95% CI 0.19-0.99, ptrend=0.008). Conclusion: Longitudinal adherence to a nutritionally rich, plant-centered diet was associated with a decreased risk of emphysema development in middle adulthood, warranting further examination of diet as a strategy for emphysema prevention in a high-risk smoking population.

Body mass index and survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma: a clinical-based cohort and meta-analysis.

Growing evidence suggests that obesity, an established cause of renal cell cancer (RCC), may also be associated with a better prognosis. To evaluate the association between RCC survival and obesity, we analyzed a large cohort of patients with RCC and undertook a meta-analysis of the published evidence. We collected clinical and pathologic data from 1,543 patients who underwent nephrectomy for RCC between 1994 and 2008 with complete follow-up through 2008. Patients were grouped according to BMI (kg/m(2) ): underweight <18.5, normal weight 18.5 to <23, overweight 23 to <25 and obese ≥25. We estimated survival using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models to examine the impact of BMI on overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) with adjustment for covariates. We performed a meta-analysis of BMI and OS, CSS and recurrence-free survival (RFS) from all relevant studies using a random-effects model. The 5-year CSS increased from 76.1% in the lowest to 92.7% in the highest BMI category. A multivariate analysis showed higher OS [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.29-0.68) and CSS (HR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.29-0.77] in obese patients than in normal weight patients. The meta-analysis further corroborated that high BMI significantly improved OS (HR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.43-0.76), CSS (HR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.48-0.74) and RFS (HR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.30-0.81). Our study shows that preoperative BMI is an independent prognostic indicator for survival among patients with RCC.

Association of Cardiovascular Health Score With Early- and Later-Onset Diabetes and With Subsequent Vascular Complications of Diabetes.

BACKGROUND Little attention has been paid to how well the American Heart Association's cardiovascular health (CVH) score predicts early-onset diabetes in young adults. We investigated the association of CVH score with early- and later-onset diabetes and with subsequent complications of diabetes. METHODS AND RESULTS Our sample included 4547 Black and White adults in the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study without diabetes at baseline (1985-1986; aged 18-30 years) with complete data on the CVH score at baseline, including smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet quality, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose. Incident diabetes was determined based on fasting glucose, 2-hour postload glucose, hemoglobin A1c, or self-reported medication use throughout 8 visits for 30 years. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the association between CVH score and diabetes onset at age <40 years (early onset) versus age ≥40 years (later onset). Secondary analyses assessed the association between CVH score and risk of complications (coronary artery calcium, clinical cardiovascular disease, kidney function markers, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic neuropathy) among a subsample with diabetes. We identified 116 early- and 502 later-onset incident diabetes cases. Each 1-point higher CVH score was associated with lower odds of developing early-onset (odds ratio [OR], 0.64 [95% CI, 0.58-0.71]) and later-onset diabetes (OR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.74-0.83]). Lower estimates of diabetic complications were observed per 1-point higher CVH score: 19% for coronary artery calcification≥100, 18% for cardiovascular disease, and 14% for diabetic neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS Higher CVH score in young adulthood was associated with lower early- and later-onset diabetes as well as diabetic complications.

Nontraditional Risk Factors for Progression Through Chronic Kidney Disease Risk Categories: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study.

BACKGROUND: There may be nontraditional pathways of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression that are complementary to classical pathways. Therefore, we aimed to examine nontraditional risk factors for incident CKD and its progression. METHODS: We used the generally healthy population (n = 4382) starting at age 27-41 years in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) cohort, which is an observational longitudinal study. Nontraditional risk factors included forced vital capacity, inflammation, serum urate, and serum carotenoids. CKD risk category was classified using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) measured in 1995-1996 and repeated every 5 years for 20 years: No CKD, low risk, moderate risk, high risk, and very high risk. RESULTS: At baseline, 84.8% had no CKD (eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and UACR <10 mg/g), 10.3% were in the low risk (eGFR ≥60 and UACR 10-29), and 4.9% had CKD (eGFR <60 and/or UACR ≥ 30). Nontraditional risk factors were significantly associated with the progression of CKD to higher categories. Hazard ratios per standard deviation of the predictor for incident CKD and its progression from the No CKD and low and moderate risk into CKD were inverse for forced vital capacity and serum carotenoids and positive for serum urate, GlycA, and C-reactive protein, the first 3 even after adjustment for conventional risk factors. CONCLUSION: Several nontraditional markers were significantly associated with an increased risk of progression to higher CKD categories in generally healthy young to middle-aged adults.

Racial Differences and Contributory Cardiovascular and Non-Cardiovascular Risk Factors Towards Chronic Kidney Disease Progression.

Background: The prevalence of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is higher in Black than in White Americans. We evaluated CKD progression in Black and White participants and the contribution of biological risk factors. We included the study of lung function (measured by forced vital capacity [FVC]), which is part of the emerging notion of interorgan cross-talk with the kidneys to racial differences in CKD progression. Methods: This longitudinal study included 2175 Black and 2207 White adult Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) participants. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were measured at study year 10 (age 27-41y) and every five years for 20 years. The outcome was CKD progression through no CKD, low, moderate, high, or very high-risk categories based on eGFR and UACR in combination. The association between race and CKD progression as well as the contribution of risk factors to racial differences were assessed in multivariable-adjusted Cox models. Results: Black participants had higher CKD transition probabilities than White participants and more prevalent risk factors during the 20-year period studied. Hazard ratios for CKD transition for Black (vs White participants) were 1.38 from No CKD into ≥ low risk, 2.25 from ≤ low risk into ≥ moderate risk, and 4.49 from ≤ moderate risk into ≥ high risk. Racial differences in CKD progression from No CKD into ≥ low risk were primarily explained by FVC (54.8%), hypertension (30.9%), and obesity (20.8%). In contrast, racial differences were less explained in more severe transitions. Conclusion: Black participants had a higher risk of CKD progression, and this discrepancy may be partly explained by FVC and conventional risk factors.

Associations of a Plant-centered Diet and Lung Function Decline across Early to Mid-Adulthood: The CARDIA Lung Study.

Background: Lung function throughout adulthood predicts morbidity and mortality even among adults without chronic respiratory disease. Diet quality may represent a modifiable risk factor for lung function impairment later in life. We investigated associations between nutritionally-rich plant-centered diet and lung function decline across early and middle adulthood from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Methods: Diet was assessed at baseline and years 7 and 20 of follow-up using the validated CARDIA diet history questionnaire. Plant-centered diet quality was scored using the validated A Priori Diet Quality Score (APDQS), which weights food groups to measure adherence to a nutritionally-rich plant-centered diet 1 to 5 points for 20 beneficially rated foods and 5 to 1 points for 13 adversely rated foods. Scores were cumulatively averaged over follow-up and categorized into quintiles. The primary outcome was lung function decline, including forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and functional vital capacity (FVC), measured at years 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30. We estimated the association of APDQS with annual pulmonary function changes in a repeated measures regression model, adjusting for clinically relevant covariates. Results: The study included 3,787 Black and White men and women aged 18-30 in 1985-86 and followed for 30 years. In multivariable repeated measures regression models, individuals in the lowest APDQS quintile (poorest diet) had declines in FEV1 that were 1.6 ml/year greater than individuals in the highest quintile (35.0 vs. 33.4 ml/year, ß±SE per 1 SD change APDQS 0.94 ± 0.36, p = 0.009). Additionally, declines in FVC were 2.4 ml/year greater in the lowest APDQS quintile than those in the highest quintile (37.0 vs 34.6 ml/year, ß±SE per 1 SD change APDQS 1.71 ± 0.46, p < 0.001). The association was not different between never and ever smokers (pint = 0.07 for FVC and 0.32 for FEV1). In sensitivity analyses where current asthma diagnosis and cardiorespiratory fitness were further adjusted, results remained similar. Conclusions: In this 30-year longitudinal cohort study, long-term adherence to a nutritionally-rich plant-centered diet was associated with slower decline in lung function, highlighting diet quality as a potential treatable trait supporting long-term lung health.