The Influence of Dietary Interventions on Arterial Stiffness in Overweight and Obese Subjects

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 15; no. 6; p. 1440
• Main Authors: Stanek, Agata, Grygiel-Górniak, Bogna, Brożyna-Tkaczyk, Klaudia, Myśliński, Wojciech, Cholewka, Armand, Zolghadri, Samaneh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16.03.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Body fat; butter; Cardiovascular diseases; cholesterol; Complications and side effects; dairy consumption; Diet therapy; Fatty Acids; fish; glycemic index; Health aspects; high carbohydrate diet; Humans; hyperglycemia; hypertension; Insulin resistance; isomaltose; Kinases; Low-calorie diet; meat consumption; Mediterranean diet; Nitric oxide; nitric oxide synthase; Obesity; Overweight; phytochemicals; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; potassium; Prevention; Pulse Wave Analysis; red meat; Review; risk; Risk Factors; seafoods; sodium; toxicity; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Vascular resistance; Vascular Stiffness; Vegetables; Western diets; Poland; arterial stiffness; mortality; cardiovascular disease; dietary interventions; overweight; obesity
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu15061440

Arterial stiffness is often increased in overweight/obese subjects before the development of hypertension. It is also one of the earliest indicators of increased cardiovascular disease risk and can be considered a good predictor of the development of subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction. Arterial stiffness is a significant prognostic factor influencing cardiovascular risk, which dietary habits can modify. Obese patients should use the caloric-restricted diet because it augments aortic distensibility, diminishes pulse wave velocity (PWV), and increases the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthases. High intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA), trans fats, and cholesterol, typical for the Western diet, impairs endothelial function and raises brachial-ankle PWV. The replacement of SFA with monounsaturated (MUFA) or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) derived from seafood and plants diminishes the risk of arterial stiffness. The dairy product intake (excluding butter) decreases PWV in the general population. The high-sucrose diet causes toxic hyperglycemia and increases arterial stiffness. Complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index (including isomaltose) should be recommended to keep vascular health. The high sodium intake (>10 g/day), particularly associated with low potassium consumption, has a deleterious effect on arterial stiffness (↑ baPWV). Since vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and phytochemicals, they should be recommended in patients with high PWV. Thus, the dietary recommendation to prevent arterial stiffness should be similar to the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in dairy products, plant oils, and fish, with a minimal red meat intake and five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.