Association between Health Eating Index-2015 and prostate-specific antigen levels: a cross-sectional study of NHANES 2001–2004

Objectives: Prostate cancer is the most common carcinoma among men worldwide. To elaborate the effect of dietary quality on prostate-specific antigen (PSA), we investigated the association between Health Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and PSA concentration from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis of men aged 40 years and older was enrolled from the year 2001–2004. Weighted multivariable logistic and linear regression models were employed to evaluate the association between the HEI-2015 and PSA level. Results: A total of 1,467 males were enrolled in the study. The results demonstrated that a higher HEI-2015 score was associated with a lower PSA level in the fully-adjusted model (β = –0.388, 95% Confidence interval (CI) = –0.746 to –0.030, P = 0.030). Specifically, the consumption of seafood and plant proteins group was found to have an inverse correlation with PSA levels (β = –0.049, 95% CI = –0.088 to –0.009, P = 0.020). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that a higher HEI-2015 score is associated with a reduced risk of PSA among adult men aged 40–55 years in the United States. Furthermore, race, body mass index (BMI), and alcohol drinking may be modifiers of the relationship.