High Intake of Proinflammatory Foods Linked to CVD Risk

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

Diets with high proinflammatory potential are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, suggests a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Proinflammatory diets generally include more red, processed, and organ meats; refined carbohydrates; and sweetened drinks. In contrast, anti-inflammatory diets tend to include more leafy green and dark yellow vegetables; whole grains; fruits, tea; coffee; and wine.

In the study, 210,000 U.S. health professionals who were free of CVD at baseline completed food-frequency questionnaires every 4 years for up to 32 years. During that time, nearly 16,000 CVD events occurred.

After multivariable adjustment, risk for CVD events was higher in those with higher proinflammatory dietary scores. In particular, compared with participants with the lowest scores (indicating the most anti-inflammatory diets), those with the highest scores (most proinflammatory diets) had a 38% increased risk for CVD.

Editorialists conclude, "When choosing the foods in our diet, we should beware of their pro- and anti-inflammatory potential!"