Can Starchy Snacks Harm Heart Health? New research published today Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association, found that eating white potatoes or other starchy snacks after any meal was associated with at least a 50% increased risk of death and a 44–57% increased risk of CVD-related death. Conversely, eating fruits, vegetables, or dairy foods in certain foods is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or death from any cause.
“People are increasingly concerned about what they eat and when they eat it,” said Ying Li, Ph.D., lead study author and professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at Harbin Medical University School of Public Health in Harbin, China. tried to understand.”
Lee and colleagues analyzed results from 21,503 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2014 in the United States to determine dietary intake of all foods. Of the study population, 51% of participants were female and all participants were aged 30 or older at the start of the study. To determine patient outcomes, the researchers used the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Death Index to note those who died of CVD, cancer or any cause by December 31, 2015.
The researchers categorized the participants’ dietary patterns by analyzing what types of food they ate at different meals. For main meals, three main dietary patterns were identified for morning meals: Western breakfast, starchy breakfast and fruit breakfast. Western lunches, vegetable lunches and fruit lunches are identified as the main menu items for lunch. Western dinner, vegetable dinner and fruit dinner are identified as the main menu items for the evening meal.
For snacks, cereal snacks, starchy snacks, fruit snacks and dairy snacks were identified as the main snack patterns between meals. Additionally, participants who did not adhere to specific eating patterns were analyzed as a reference group. The researchers noted that the Western diet has a high ratio of fat to protein, similar to many North American diets.
Participants in the Western lunch group ate the most refined grains, solid fats, cheese, added sugars, and cured meats. Participants in the fruit-based lunch group had the highest servings of whole grains, fruit, yogurt, and nuts. Participants in the vegetable-based dinner group had the highest servings of dark vegetables, red and orange vegetables, tomatoes, other vegetables, and lemons. Participants who ate starchy snacks ate the most white potatoes.
According to their findings:
- Eating a Western lunch (typically containing refined grains, cheese, cured meats) was associated with a 44% increased risk of CVD death;
- Eating a fruit-based lunch was associated with a 34% reduced risk of CVD death;
- Eating a plant-based dinner was associated with a 23% and 31% reduction in CVD and all-cause mortality, respectively; And
- Consuming high-starch snacks after any meal was associated with a 50-52% increased risk of all-cause mortality and a 44-57% increased risk of CVD-related mortality.
“Our results revealed that the amount and timing of eating a variety of foods are equally important for maintaining optimal health,” Lee said. “Future nutrition guidelines and intervention strategies may integrate optimal consumption times for meals throughout the day.”
Limitations of this study include that dietary data were self-reported by participants, which may have led to recall bias. And, although researchers controlled for potential confounders, other unmeasured confounding factors could not be ruled out.