title: Adoption of American Heart Association 2020 ideal healthy diet recommendations prevents weight gain in young adults.
abstract: In 2010, the American Heart Association established the concept of ideal cardiovascular health. Nationally representative data estimated that <1% of Americans meet the seven health metrics required for achieving ideal cardiovascular health, with the main challenge residing in meeting the criteria for an ideal Healthy Diet Score. In a cohort of young adults (N=196), we aimed to investigate the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health and ideal Healthy Diet Score and its association to weight gain over a 4-year follow-up period. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and blood samples were taken according to standardized procedures. Dietary intake was measured by a 3-day food diary and verified by a registered dietitian. We observed that only 0.5% of our sample met the criteria for ideal cardiovascular health and only 4.1% met the criteria for an ideal Healthy Diet Score. The components of the Healthy Diet Score with the lowest observance were consumption of fruits and vegetables (9.7%) and whole grains (14.8%). Meeting zero or one out of five of the Healthy Diet Score components was associated with increased risk of weight gain over 4 years compared with meeting at least two components (P=0.03). With the exception of dietary criteria, prevalence was high for achieving ideal levels of the remaining six cardiovascular health metrics. In conclusion, in this sample of young adults, a very low prevalence of ideal overall cardiovascular health was observed, mainly driven by poor dietary habits, and a poor Healthy Diet Score was associated with increased weight gain.
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forget
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doyon
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lacerte
authors.forename: Mélissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Labonté
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: André C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Carpentier
authors.forename: Marie-France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.forename: Marie-France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hivert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000572:American Heart Association; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D002523:Edible Grain; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Diet; Epidemiology; Primary prevention; Prospective cohort study; Risk factor