Increased dietary fruit intake was associated with lower burden of carotid atherosclerosis in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies demonstrated that high fruit consumption was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the relationship between fruit intake and carotid atherosclerosis in these patients is unknown. We studied the relationship between dietary fruit intake and carotid intima-media thickness in patients with Type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
A total of 255 Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes were recruited. Dietary fruit intake was assessed by a validated food-frequency questionnaire, and carotid intima-media thickness was measured by high-resolution ultrasonography.


RESULTS
Among patients with three different tertiles of fruit intake (14.5 ± 8.6 vs. 41.5 ± 7.1 vs. 92.6 ± 39.7 g/day), there was no difference in their clinical characteristics (all P > 0.05). Patients with the highest tertile of fruit intake had a significantly higher BMI and diastolic blood pressure than those with the lowest tertile intake. Furthermore, serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, 8-isoprostane and superoxide dismutase were similar among the three tertiles of patients (all P > 0.05). However, patients with the highest tertile of fruit intake had lower carotid intima-media thickness (0.97 ± 0.02 vs. 1.08 ± 0.03 mm, P = 0.046) and prevalence of carotid plaque (11.76 vs. 1.18%, P = 0.022) than those with the lowest tertile of fruit intake. Multivariate regression analysis revealed the highest tertile of fruit intake (β = -0.086, P = 0.049) was independently associated with carotid intima-media thickness.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrated that, in Chinese patients with Type 2 diabetes, higher dietary fruit intake was associated with a lower burden of carotid atherosclerosis as reflected by lower carotid intima-media thickness and prevalence of carotid plaque.
Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.
H-T
HT
Chan
K-H
KH
Yiu
C-Y
CY
Wong
S-W
SW
Li
S
S
Tam
H-F
HF
Tse
D000368:Aged; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires