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Thickness in wall of the carotid artery appears to be affected by food choices
Angela D. Liese
A diet high in red and processed meats, sweetened beverages and soft drinks, processed meats, cottage cheese, and tomato-based foods -- and low in fiber – appears to contribute to the thickening of the common carotid artery, which carries blood to the neck, head and brain, according to researchers at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health.
In a study, led by Dr. Angela D. Liese of the Arnold School, researchers found that a diet including more healthy foods, such as rice, pasta, liquid meal replacements, poultry and wine, appeared to protect against plaque buildup. The findings, reported recently in the British Journal of Nutrition, are the latest results in Liese’s diet pattern research.
Researchers looked at the carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT), a measurement of the carotid artery’s wall thickness, which is an established marker for early atherosclerosis, Liese said.
“IMT is considered a strong predictor of future cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks or strokes. It is a pre-clinical measure of atherosclerosis,” said Liese, an Arnold School associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and director of the Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities.
Data for the study was drawn from participants in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS), a multi-center study designed to evaluate the links among insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk among whites, African Americans and Hispanics. More than 800 middle-age men and women were involved in the study, which had two parts -- a health history, physical examination, ultrasound of the carotid artery and laboratory measures in 1999 and a follow-up examination in 2004.
“This is one of the first studies to look at a measure of pre-clinical atherosclerosis and how diet contributes to the disease process,” Liese said.
A perplexing part of the study, she said, was that tomato-based products and cottage cheese were part of the less healthful pattern and associated with increased thickness of the wall of the carotid artery.
“Identifying tomato foods as part of a less healthy diet pattern was opposite to our knowledge of the beneficial properties of tomatoes,” Liese said. “However, based on our study of this group, we know that tomatoes are frequently consumed with high-fat foods, such as hamburgers, pizza, or lasagna. The unhealthy properties of these meals may overpower the health benefits of tomatoes.”
Likewise, cottage cheese and ricotta were found to be consumed with other less healthy foods, she said.
“This study lays the foundation for other research on food intake patterns that contribute to carotid artery atherosclerosis,” she said.
