Association between diet quality and change in left ventricular ejection fraction during follow-up of post-acute myocardial infarction patients
Cardiovascular Diseases. ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Ventricular Dysfunction, Left. Dietary quality metrics. Dietary patterns.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) standing out, and coronary artery disease (CAD) being one of the most prevalent conditions. CAD results from the obstruction of coronary arteries by atherosclerosis, leading to myocardial ischemia, a clinical condition known as acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes unstable angina, ST-segment elevation AMI, and non-ST-segment elevation AMI. Diet quality is crucial in the treatment and prevention of post-AMI complications, such as cardiac remodeling and left ventricular systolic dysfunction, which may progress to heart failure. Dietary assessment can be performed using specific quality indices. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of diet quality on changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients one year after AMI. A cohort study was conducted with patients who had suffered AMI, in which diet quality was assessed using the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) derived from 24-hour recalls (24hR). LVEF was analyzed between 6 months (T1) and 1 year post-AMI (T2) using mixed linear models adjusted for potential confounders. Higher consumption of whole grains, liquid oils, eggs, and poultry was observed, while nuts, seeds, and orange-colored vegetables were virtually absent from the diet. Over the follow-up period, individuals with higher diet quality showed a tendency toward a more favorable increase in LVEF, suggesting the role of dietary patterns as potential modulators of cardiac recovery.