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A higher Mediterranean diet score, including unprocessed red meat, is associated with reduced risk of central nervous system demyelination in a case-control study of Australian adults
Citation
Black, LJ and Baker, K and Ponsonby, A-L and van der Mei, I and Lucas, RM and Pereira, G, and the Ausimmune Investigator Group, A higher Mediterranean diet score, including unprocessed red meat, is associated with reduced risk of central nervous system demyelination in a case-control study of Australian adults, Journal of Nutrition, 149, (8) pp. 1385-1392. ISSN 0022-3166 (2019) [Refereed Article]
 | PDF (final author version) Available from 01 September 2020 325Kb |
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2019 American Society for Nutrition
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between a Mediterranean diet and risk of a first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system demyelination (FCD), a common precursor to MS.
Methods: We used data from the 2003-2006 Ausimmune Study, an Australian multicenter, case-control study examining environmental risk factors for FCD, with participants matched on age, sex, and study region (282 cases, 558 controls; 18-59 y old; 78% female). The alternate Mediterranean diet score (aMED) was calculated based on data from a food-frequency questionnaire. We created a modified version of the aMED (aMED-Red) where ∼1 daily serving (65 g) of unprocessed red meat received 1 point. All other components remained the same as aMED. Conditional logistic regression (254 cases, 451 controls) was used to test associations between aMED and aMED-Red scores and categories and risk of FCD, adjusting for history of infectious mononucleosis, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, smoking, education, total energy intake, and dietary underreporting.
Results: There was no statistically significant association between aMED and risk of FCD [per 1-SD increase in aMED score: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.89; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.06; P = 0.181]. There was evidence of a nonlinear relation between aMED-Red and risk of FCD when a quadratic term was used (P = 0.016). Compared with the lowest category of aMED-Red, higher categories were significantly associated with reduced risk of FCD, corresponding to a 37% (aOR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.98; P = 0.039), 52% (aOR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.83; P = 0.009), and 42% (aOR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.96; P = 0.034) reduced risk of FCD in categories 2, 3, and 4, respectively.
Conclusions: A Mediterranean diet, including unprocessed red meat, was associated with reduced risk of FCD in this Australian adult population. The addition of unprocessed red meat to a Mediterranean diet may be beneficial for those at high risk of MS.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Ausimmune study, Mediterranean diet, multiple sclerosis, nutrition and disease, nutritional epidemiology |
| Research Division: | Medical and Health Sciences |
| Research Group: | Neurosciences |
| Research Field: | Central Nervous System |
| Objective Division: | Health |
| Objective Group: | Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions) |
| Objective Field: | Nervous System and Disorders |
| UTAS Author: | van der Mei, I (Associate Professor Ingrid van der Mei) |
| ID Code: | 134085 |
| Year Published: | 2019 |
| Deposited By: | Menzies Institute for Medical Research |
| Deposited On: | 2019-07-25 |
| Last Modified: | 2019-08-05 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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