title: Worsened arterial stiffness in high-risk cardiovascular patients with high habitual carbohydrate intake: a cross-sectional vascular function study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies suggested that high dietary carbohydrate intake is associated with increased cardiovascular risk through raised triglyceride and decreased high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. However, the relation between carbohydrate intake and arterial stiffness has not been established. The purpose of this study was to examine this relation among high-risk cardiovascular patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the relation between dietary macronutrient intake and arterial stiffness in 364 patients with documented cardiovascular diseases or risk equivalent (coronary artery diseases 62%, ischemic stroke 13%, diabetes mellitus 55%) and in 93 age-and-sex matched control subjects. Dietary macronutrient intake was assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for Chinese. Heart-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured non-invasively with a Vascular Profiling System (VP2000, Colin Corp. USA). A dietary pattern with ≥60% total energy intake derived from carbohydrates was defined as a high-carbohydrate diet according to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for Chinese.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects who consumed a high-carbohydrate diet had significantly higher mean PWV than those who did not consume a high-carbohydrate diet (P = 0.039). After adjustment for potential confounders, high-carbohydrate diet was associated with significantly increased PWV [B = 73.50 (10.81 to 136.19), P = 0.022]. However, there was no significant association between high-carbohydrate diet and PWV in controls (P = 0.634).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-carbohydrate diet is associated with increased arterial stiffness in patients with established cardiovascular disease or risk equivalent.
authors.forename: Hiu-Ting
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Yap-Hang
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Kai Hang
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yiu
authors.forename: Sheung-Wai
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Sidney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: Chu-Pak
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. hftse@hkucc.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Hung-Fat
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Tse
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates