(P14-009-23) Impact of Dinner Meat Sources on Changes in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors With a Mediterranean Diet: Secondary Analysis From a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: Consuming a Mediterranean-style healthy dietary pattern (MED-HDP) improves clinical indexes of cardiovascular health. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming HDPs with a variety of protein-rich foods, which may include seafood, poultry, and lean red meat. Perspectives on the healthfulness of these sources of meat vary, prompting a question how they may influence changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors after adopting a MED-HDP. We assessed if the frequency of consuming seafood, poultry, or lean red meat at dinner impacted MED-HDP-induced changes in CVD risk factors.

Methods: For this retrospective assessment, data came from 53 adults (32 females, 21 males; aged 48 ± 11 y, BMI 31 ± 3 kg/m², mean ± SD) who consumed MED-HDPs for 12 weeks. All study foods were provided during the intervention period. The 7-day rotating menus specified the amounts of specific foods to consume at morning and mid-day meals, while participants chose their evening meal foods from a list of protocol-acceptable choices. The portioned meat choices were seafood (salmon, shrimp), poultry (unprocessed chicken breast), and red meat (95% lean ground beef, lean beef sirloin). Participants recorded all foods and beverages consumed daily using menu/food logs. Fasting bloods samples were obtained pre- and post-intervention. We assessed associations between the frequency of meals a participant consumed which contained seafood, poultry, or red meat, with changes in plasma lipids (total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TAG), lipoproteins (HDL, LDL, TC:HDL ratio), and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures.

Results: Greater frequency of consuming poultry predicted greater reductions in SBP (p = 0.0038, r = -0.41, 95% CI [-0.63, -0.14]) and DBP (p = 0.0042, r = -0.41, 95% CI [-0.62, -0.14]). The frequencies of seafood or red meat consumption did not associate with changes in blood pressures. The frequencies of consuming seafood, poultry, or red meat did not predict changes in any of the lipid or lipoprotein outcomes.

Conclusions: Among middle-aged adults classified as high risk for CVD, more frequent consumption of unprocessed chicken breast, but not seafood or lean beef, as part of a MED-HDP may predict positive changes in blood pressure.

Funding Sources: Barilla International and Barilla USA (project funding); Beef Checkoff (student support)