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Reduced Whole Grain Consumption Predicts Obesity‐Related Aortic Stiffness
Author(s) -
Campbell Marilyn S.,
Fleenor Bradley S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.lb314
Subject(s) - pulse wave velocity , medicine , blood pressure , cardiology , arterial stiffness , pulse pressure , obesity , calorie , diastole , population , endocrinology , environmental health
Obesity is associated with increased aortic stiffness, an independent predictor of cardiovascular events. Recent intervention studies have emphasized the importance of various foods and nutrients to reduce aortic stiffness independent of changes in body composition, specifically adiposity. Food choices might be a potential explanation for accelerated aortic stiffness in obese individuals rather than overconsumption alone. The current study, therefore, considered whether dietary factors are associated with increased aortic stiffness. Twenty‐two young, obese men were recruited for this study (18–35 years old, BMI > 30.0 kg/m 2 ). Dietary intake was assessed via the NIH's validated Dietary History Questionnaire‐II (DHQ‐II) using portion sizes, and aortic stiffness was measured via gold standard carotid‐femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (cfPWV). Manual blood pressure measurements were taken at the brachial artery with a sphygmomanometer, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurements were recorded. Pulse pressure (PP) was determined as DBP subtracted from SBP, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) was calculated: (2 × DBP + SBP)/3. The mean cfPWV was 6.3 ± 0.9 m/s (range: 5.2–8.7 m/s), and the average dietary consumption was 2,854 ± 1,491 calories per day in this young, obese male population. Regression analyses revealed whole grain consumption assessed by DHQ‐II is a predictor of obesity‐associated aortic stiffness (R 2 = 0.286, p = 0.010), and when adjusted for fiber content, the relationship remained significant (R 2 = 0.258, p = 0.019). Additionally, neither total caloric consumption (R 2 = 0.092, p = 0.170) nor total fiber consumption predicted cfPWV (R 2 = 0.056, p = 0.291). Furthermore, when whole grain consumption was adjusted for traditional risk factors (age, BMI, MAP), this correlation still persisted (R 2 = 0.269, p = 0.027). Average blood pressure readings were as follows: SBP = 124.27 ± 8.54 mmHg, DBP = 79.45 ± 7.64 mmHg, PP = 44.82 ± 8.50 mmHg, and MAP = 94.39 ± 6.87 mmHg. Blood pressure measures (SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP) were not predictive of aortic stiffness. Collectively, these findings demonstrate an inverse relationship for reduced whole grain consumption to be associated with increased aortic stiffness. Thus, a potential role of whole grains to reduce obesity‐related aortic stiffness with overconsumption is proposed, which is independent of traditional risk factors such as age, BMI and blood pressure. Nonetheless, fiber content was not correlated with obesity‐associated aortic stiffness, suggesting that the benefits from whole grains are not limited to fiber alone. However, larger clinical trials need to be conducted to confirm these preliminary findings and to explore the mechanisms reducing aortic stiffness with increased whole grain consumption.