Associations of whole-grain, refined-grain, and fruit and vegetable consumption with risks of all-cause mortality and incident coronary artery disease and ischemic stroke: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.
BACKGROUND
Recent epidemiologic study results showed that subjects who had high intakes of whole-grain foods had lower risks of death and heart disease than did subjects who had low intakes. However, the findings were inconsistent for fruit and vegetable intake.


OBJECTIVE
The relations of whole-grain, refined-grain, and fruit and vegetable intakes with the risk of total mortality and the incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and ischemic stroke were studied in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort (baseline: age 45-64 y, n = 15,792).


METHODS
Proportional hazards regression analyses were used to assess the relations of whole-grain, refined-grain, and fruit and vegetable intakes with the risk of death and the incidence of CAD and ischemic stroke, with adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, energy intake, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Dietary intakes were assessed by using a food-frequency questionnaire.


RESULTS
Over an 11-y follow-up period, whole-grain intake was inversely associated with total mortality and incident CAD. The relative hazards of death for quintiles 2-5 of fruit and vegetable intake were 1.08 (95% CI: 0.88, 1.33), 0.94 (0.75, 1.17), 0.87 (0.68, 1.10), and 0.78 (0.61, 1.01), respectively; P for trend = 0.02. An inverse association between fruit and vegetable intake and CAD was observed among African Americans but not among whites (P for interaction = 0.01). The risk of ischemic stroke was not significantly related to whole-grain, refined-grain, or fruit and vegetable consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
These observational findings suggest a beneficial effect of whole-grain and fruit and vegetable consumption on the risks of total mortality and incident CAD but not on the risk of ischemic stroke.
Steffen
Lyn M
LM
Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, 55454, USA. steffen@epi.umn.edu
Jacobs
David R
DR
Stevens
June
J
Shahar
Eyal
E
Carithers
Teresa
T
Folsom
Aaron R
AR
D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D004032:Diet; D002523:Edible Grain; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012306:Risk; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables