Quality of plant-based diets in relation to all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in US adults with sarcopenia: a population-based study.

PURPOSE

This observational study aimed to examine the relationship between three plant-based diet (PBD) indices and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients with sarcopenia.

METHODS

Adults with sarcopenia from the 1999-2006 and 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included. A total plant-based diet index (PDI), a healthful PDI (hPDI) and an unhealthful PDI (uPDI) were created based on 17 food groups and were assessed for their associations with all-cause and CVD mortality risk using Cox proportional hazards regression models, restricted cubic spine analysis, and interaction analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 684 (222 from CVD) deaths were documented in 2218 participants (mean age 51.36 years; 53.90% men) during a median follow-up of 117 months. Compared with the lowest quartile, the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all-cause mortality in the highest quartile were 0.49 (0.33-0.75) for total PDI, 0.27 (0.19-0.39) for hPDI, and 1.85 (1.30-2.65) for uPDI. Similarly, for CVD mortality, the HRs and 95% CIs in the highest quartile were 0.29 (0.12-0.69) for total PDI, 0.30 (0.18-0.50) for hPDI, and 2.65 (1.21-5.77) for uPDI, compared to the lowest quartile. The protective associations of hPDI with all-cause and CVD mortality were more pronounced in participants younger than 45 years.

CONCLUSION

Higher adherence to PDI and hPDI is associated with a lower risk of all-cause and CVD mortality, whereas higher adherence to uPDI is linked to an increased risk of mortality in US adults with sarcopenia.