Consumption of flavonoid-rich fruits and risk of coronary heart disease. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Consumption of flavonoid-rich fruits and risk of coronary heart disease: a prospective cohort study.
Br J Nutr. 2020 Jun 9:1-26. Epub 2020 Jun 9. PMID: 32513342
Yiyi Yang
Although the association between fruit consumption and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk was well studied, few studies have focused on flavonoid-rich fruits (FRFs), in particular strawberries and grapes. We aimed to verify the association of total and specific FRF consumption with risk of CHD by a large prospective cohort study. A total of 87,177 men and women aged 44-75 who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at study baseline were eligible for the present analysis. FRF consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios of CHD in relation to FRF consumption with adjustment for potential risk factors and confounders. During a mean follow-up of 13.2 years, we identified 1156 incident CHD cases. After fully adjustment for covariates including demographics, lifestyles, and dietary factors, the HRs were 0.93 (95% CI: 0.77, 1.11), 0.91 (95% CI: 0.75, 1.11), 0.84 (95% CI: 0.67, 1.04), and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.99) for the second, third, fourth, and fifth quintiles compared with lowest quintile of FRF consumption. Regarding specific fruits, we observed a significant inverse association for citrus fruit consumption and a borderline inverse association for strawberry consumption, while no association was observed for apple/pear, or grape consumption. Although the associations appeared to be stronger in women, they were not significantly modified by sex. Higher consumption of FRFs, in particular, citrus fruits, may be associated with a lower risk of developing CHD.