ABSTRACT
Introduction
South Asian adults are at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), for which coronary artery calcification (CAC) is an early predictor. Adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is a modifiable risk factor that may mitigate the progression of CAC and ASCVD.
Methods
Using data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America cohort, we calculated a DASH dietary score (categorized as low, moderate, and high) to examine associations of DASH diet adherence and CAC after a five-year follow up.
Results
We found that participants in the high DASH category were 41% less likely to have CAC score>100 (age-adjusted Incident Rate Ratio (IRR) 0.59; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.36, 0.95) compared to those in the low category; this association was attenuated in multivariable models. Differences were observed by sex. Men in the high DASH category were 51% less likely to have CAC score >100 (aIRR: 0.49; 95%CI: 0.26, 0.95) and experienced 0.46 fold-CAC change (fold-change: 0.46; 95%CI: 0.18, 0.90) in multivariable models.
Conclusions
The findings indicate a relationship between DASH diet and early predictors of ASCVD risk among South Asians living in the U.S., particularly men.