Dietary Patterns and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Elderly Men: The Zutphen Elderly Study

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether dietary patterns were associated with cardiovascular risk factors in 518 elderly men (70-89 years), using data from the 30-year follow-up survey of the Zutphen Study. METHODS: Dietary intake was estimated by cross-check dietary history. We used cluster analysis to aggregate individuals into four groups, characterized by high alcohol intake, high meat consumption, healthy dietary pattern, and high intake of refined sugars. RESULTS: In the alcohol cluster socioeconomic status was higher (P < 0.05) than in the meat cluster. High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was 0.15-0.23 mmol/l higher (P < 0.05) in the alcohol cluster compared to the other clusters. Furthermore, in the meat cluster HDL-cholesterol was 0.08 mmol/l higher than in the refined sugars cluster (P < 0.05). Total serum cholesterol was 0.26 mmol/l higher in the meat cluster compared to the healthy diet cluster (95% CI: -0.17, 0.69). The prevalence of hypertension was almost 10% higher in alcohol cluster compared to the other three clusters (95% CI: -3, 23). The percentage of non-smokers was highest in the healthy diet cluster. These results were irrespective of potential confounders, such as age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, smoking, and being on a prescribed diet. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of moderate alcohol intake on cardiovascular risk factors are confirmed in elderly men. Furthermore, a healthy diet is associated with more favourable levels of cardiovascular risk factors at old age.