Relationship between diet quality and statin use among adults with metabolic syndrome from the CARTaGENE cohort

• Published in: CJC open (Online) 2024-01, Vol.6 (1), p.11-19
• Main Authors: Bélanger, Amélie, Desjardins, Clémence, Leblay, Lise, Filiatrault, Mathieu, Barbier, Olivier, Gangloff, Anne, Leclerc, Jacinthe, Lefebvre, Jean, Zongo, Arsène, Drouin-Chartier, Jean-Philippe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 2589-790X; 2589-790X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cjco.2023.09.014

In metabolic syndrome (MetS), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction relies on the complementary use of diet and lipid-lowering medication. Evidence suggests that initiating such medication may impede diet quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between diet quality and statin use among adults with MetS and free of CVD from the Province of Quebec. This cross-sectional study included 2,481 adults with MetS (40-69 years) from the CARTaGENE Quebec population-based cohort, of which 463 self-reported using statin monotherapy. Diet was assessed using the Canadian Dietary History Questionnaire II, a food frequency questionnaire, and diet quality was assessed using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI). In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, statin users had lower AHEI (%) compared with nonusers [Users: 40.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 38.9, 41.2) vs nonusers: 41.2 (95% CI: 40.4, 42.0); P=0.03], due to a lower consumption of vegetables and whole grains. Stratified interaction analyses showed that the lower diet quality among statin users was mostly prevalent among male/men aged ≥50 years and female/women aged ≥60 years, among individuals with an annual household income of