title: Association of dietary patterns with insulin resistance and clinically silent carotid atherosclerosis in apparently healthy people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dietary habits are important determinants of individual cardiovascular and metabolic risk. This study investigated the association between dietary patterns and asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis, defined as the presence of plaques and/or increased intima-media thickness, and metabolic biomarkers of insulin resistance, including the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and the trygliceride/high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (Tg/HDL) ratio in a cohort of adults without known diabetes or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine hundred and twenty-nine randomly selected participants were cross-sectionally investigated. Each participant answered a food frequency questionnaire, and underwent high-resolution ultrasonographic evaluation of both carotid arteries. Laboratory blood measurements were obtained in a subsample of 507 participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A dietary pattern that could be defined as unhealthy (high consumption of soft drinks, fried foods, seed oils, cured meats, butter, red meat and sweets) was identified in 21% of the cohort, whereas 34% of the cohort exhibited a dietary pattern that resembled the Mediterranean diet (high intakes of fruit, milk and cheese, olive oil, vegetables, pasta and bread). Intermediate habits characterized the remaining 45%. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and hypertension on treatment, the Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with significantly lower HOMA-IR (β-coefficient=-0.51; P=0.003). After adjusting for gender, BMI and HbA1c, the unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with a significantly higher Tg/HDL-cholesterol ratio (β-coefficient=0.43; P=0.006). No significant association was found between dietary patterns and carotid atherosclerosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that, independent of measures of adiposity, a Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with lower insulin resistance.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Nutrizione Clinica-P Giaccone Policlinico, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica (DIBIMIS), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.identifier: 0000000307307649
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buscemi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nicolucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mattina
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rosafio
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Massenti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucisano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galvano
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amodio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barile
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Maniaci
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grosso
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verga
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sprini
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Rini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002079:Butter; D002253:Carbonated Beverages; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002648:Child; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012802:Sicily; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D014280:Triglycerides; D002079:Butter