ADHERENCE TO ALTERNATIVE HEALTHY EATING INDEX (AHEI-2010) IN RELATION TO STROKE: A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Background and Aim: Stroke is becoming one of the most global concerns. The association of several foods and nutrients with stroke have been investigated, but their effects may be best evaluated by considering the whole diet. We aimed to examine the association between Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 and odds of stroke in Iranian adults.Methods: In this hospital-based case-control study, 193 stroke patients (known by clinical findings and brain CT), hospitalized in the Neurology Ward and 193 controls from the other wards of the hospital with no history of cerebrovascular diseases or neurologic disorders were selected. The participants dietary intakes were examined using a validated 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. We constructed AHEI-2010 based on earlier studies. Participants were classified according to tertiles of AHEI-2010 scores. Results: stroke patients were older, more likely to be male and smoker than controls. Individuals with the greatest adherence to AHEI-2010 had a higher consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, whole grains and carbohydrate and lower intakes of trans-fatty acids, sugar-sweetened beverages, total energy, and fat. After adjusting for potential confounders, adherence to AHEI-2010 was not significantly associated with reduced risk of stroke (OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.56-1.51).Conclusion: We found that adherence to AHEI-2010 was not associated with the lower chance of stroke in Iranian adults. Further prospective studies are recommended to further examine the issue.

Keywords:

Alternative Healthy Eating Index , AHEI , Diet quality , Stroke