Adoption of American Heart Association 2020 Ideal Healthy Diet Recommendations Prevents Weight Gain in Young Adults

• Published in: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Vol. 113; no. 11; pp. 1517 - 1522
• Main Authors: Forget, Geneviève, Doyon, Myriam, Lacerte, Guillaume, Labonté, Mélissa, Brown, Christine, Carpentier, André C., Langlois, Marie-France, Hivert, Marie-France
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; American Heart Association; Americans; blood; blood pressure; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Diet; dietary recommendations; eating habits; Edible Grain; Epidemiology; Exercise; Feeding Behavior; Female; food intake; food records; Fruit; fruits; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Health Promotion; Health Status; healthy diet; heart; Humans; Internal Medicine; Life Style; Male; prevention & control; Primary prevention; Prospective cohort study; Recommended Dietary Allowances; risk; Risk factor; United States; Vegetables; Weight Gain; whole grain foods; Young Adult; young adults; United States; Diet; Primary prevention; Epidemiology; Prospective cohort study; Risk factor
• ISSN: 2212-2672; 2212-2680
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.06.346

In 2010, the American Heart Association established the concept of ideal cardiovascular health. Nationally representative data estimated that <1% of Americans meet the seven health metrics required for achieving ideal cardiovascular health, with the main challenge residing in meeting the criteria for an ideal Healthy Diet Score. In a cohort of young adults (N=196), we aimed to investigate the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health and ideal Healthy Diet Score and its association to weight gain over a 4-year follow-up period. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and blood samples were taken according to standardized procedures. Dietary intake was measured by a 3-day food diary and verified by a registered dietitian. We observed that only 0.5% of our sample met the criteria for ideal cardiovascular health and only 4.1% met the criteria for an ideal Healthy Diet Score. The components of the Healthy Diet Score with the lowest observance were consumption of fruits and vegetables (9.7%) and whole grains (14.8%). Meeting zero or one out of five of the Healthy Diet Score components was associated with increased risk of weight gain over 4 years compared with meeting at least two components (P=0.03). With the exception of dietary criteria, prevalence was high for achieving ideal levels of the remaining six cardiovascular health metrics. In conclusion, in this sample of young adults, a very low prevalence of ideal overall cardiovascular health was observed, mainly driven by poor dietary habits, and a poor Healthy Diet Score was associated with increased weight gain.