title: Reduced subclinical carotid vascular disease and arterial stiffness in vegetarian men: The CARVOS Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary habits play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The objective of this study was to verify if vegetarian (VEG) diet could be related a better profile of subclinical vascular disease evaluated by arterial stiffness and functional and structural properties of carotid arteries, compared to omnivorous (OMN) diet.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, 44 VEG and 44 OMN apparently healthy men ≥35years of age, in order to not have confounding risk factors of subclinical atherosclerosis, were assessed for anthropometric data, blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose, C reactive protein (CRP), and arterial stiffness determined by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Also, carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) and distensibility were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VEG men had lower body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting serum total cholesterol, LDL and non-HDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, glucose and glycated hemoglobin values in comparison with OMN individuals (all p values <0.05). Markers of vascular structure and function were different between VEG and OMN: PWV 7.1±0.8m/s vs. 7.7±0.9m/s (p<0.001); c-IMT 593±94 vs. 661±128μm (p=0.003); and relative carotid distensibility 6.39±1.7 vs. 5.72±1.8% (p=0.042), respectively. After a multivariate linear regression analysis, a VEG diet was independently and negatively associated with PWV (p value 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A VEG diet is associated with a more favorable cardiovascular diseases biomarker profile and better vascular structural and functional parameters.
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil; Osiris Florindo Coelho Regional Hospital of Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Brazil. Electronic address: jnavarro_2@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Acosta-Navarro
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil; Paulista University (UNIP), Brazil. Electronic address: lgouveia@usp.br.
authors.forename: Luiza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antoniazzi
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: dri_oki@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Adriana Midori
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Oki
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: maria.bonfim@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria Carlos
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bonfim
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: hong.valeria@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: pedrovoltron1@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Acosta-Cardenas
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: labcelia@incor.usp.br.
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strunz
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: eleonora.brunoro@incor.usp.br.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brunoro
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: marmin@bol.com.br.
authors.forename: Marcio Hiroshi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Miname
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: wilson.salgado@incor.usp.br.
authors.forename: Wilson Salgado
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Filho
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: hipluiz@incor.usp.br.
authors.forename: Luiz Aparecido
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Bortolotto
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: raul.santos@incor.usp.br.
authors.forename: Raul D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*; D000066988:Vegetarians
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Carotid intima-media thickness; Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; Cholesterol; Omnivorous; Vegetarian