Poor Diet Quality in Childhood Tied to Arterial Stiffness in Teen Years

Mediterranean-style and anti-inflammatory diets tied to decreased arterial stiffness

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — An obesogenic dietary pattern in childhood is associated with increased arterial stiffness in adolescence, according to a study published online Jan. 5 in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Genevieve Buckland, Ph.D., from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the relationship between childhood diet quality and arterial stiffness and thickness during adolescence/early adulthood using data from participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children with dietary data at ages 7, 10, and 13 years and pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid intima-media thickness at ages 17 and/or 24 years.

The researchers found that in adjusted models, a high versus low obesogenic Z-score at 7 and 10 years was associated with higher PWV at 17 years (β = 0.07 and 0.10, respectively). Conversely, a high versus low children’s Mediterranean-style diet Z-score at 7 years was associated with lower PWV at 17 years (β = −0.07). A high (more anti-inflammatory) versus low children’s Dietary Inflammatory Z-score at 10 years was associated with a lower PWV at 17 years (β = −0.06).

“This highlights the importance of establishing healthy dietary habits early in life to protect against vascular damage,” the authors write.

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