Concordance Between DASH Diet and Coronary Artery Calcification: Results From the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Prospective Cohort Study

• Main Authors: Bridget Murphy Hussain, PhD, MS (Author), Andrea L. Deierlein, PhD, MPH, MS (Author), Sameera A. Talegawkar, PhD (Author), Alka M. Kanaya, MD (Author), Joyce A. O'Connor, DrPH, MA (Author), Meghana D. Gadgil, MD (Author), Yong Lin, PhD (Author), Niyati Parekh, PhD, MS (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Elsevier, 2025-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2773-0654; 10.1016/j.focus.2024.100288
• Keywords: South Asian; coronary artery calcium; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; dietary intake; atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: AJPM Focus, Vol 4, Iss 1, Pp 100288- (2025)

Introduction: South Asian adults are at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, for which coronary artery calcification is an early predictor. Adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet is a modifiable risk factor that may mitigate the progression of coronary artery calcification and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Methods: Using data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America cohort, the authors calculated a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension dietary score (categorized as low, moderate, and high) to examine the associations of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet adherence with coronary artery calcification after a 5-year follow up. Results: The authors found that participants in the high Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension category were 41% less likely to have coronary artery calcification score >100 (age-adjusted incidence rate ratio=0.59; 95% CI=0.36, 0.95) than those in the low category; this association was attenuated in multivariable models. Differences were observed by sex. Men in the high Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension category were 51% less likely to have coronary artery calcification score >100 (adjusted incidence rate ratio=0.49; 95% CI=0.26, 0.95) and experienced 0.46-fold coronary artery calcification change (fold change=0.46; 95% CI=0.18, 0.90) in multivariable models. Conclusions: The findings indicate a relationship between Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet and early predictors of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk among South Asians living in the U.S., particularly men.