Plain language summary
Research into dietary approaches for heart health are many and varied, however are often contradictory and remain inconclusive. One aspect of diet that may be implicated with heart failure is dietary proteins. This longitudinal, prospective cohort study, including 2441 Finnish men aged between 42 and 60, aimed to examine the association between consumption of different dietary proteins and the risk of heart failure. Dairy, meat and fish were the main animal protein sources and grains and potatoes the main plant protein sources. After adjusting for confounding factors, the authors of the study found a borderline increased risk of heart failure between those in the highest protein intake quartile and those in the lowest, in a population of middle-aged and older men. The association was strongest for fermented dairy, although, having considered the evidence, the authors cannot exclude the possibility that this was a chance finding. Further studies are required to elucidate the role of protein in the risk of heart failure.
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal and plant protein intakes have indicated opposite associations with cardiovascular mortality risk. Whether dietary proteins are associated with risk of heart failure (HF) is unclear. Thus, we examined the associations of proteins from different food sources with risk of HF. METHODS AND RESULTS The study included 2441 men aged 42 to 60 years at the baseline examinations in 1984 to 1989 in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Protein intakes at baseline were assessed with 4-day dietary records. Data on incident HF cases were obtained from national registers. HF risk according to protein intake was estimated by Cox proportional hazard ratios. During the mean follow-up of 22.2 years, 334 incident HF cases occurred. Higher intake of total protein indicated a trend toward increased risk of HF (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio in the highest versus lowest quartile=1.33; 95% confidence interval: 0.95-1.85; P-trend=0.05). The associations between specific types and sources of protein with incident HF were consistent with this overall finding although not all associations reached statistical significance. For example, the hazard ratio in the highest versus lowest quartile was 1.43 (95% confidence interval: 1.00-2.03; P-trend=0.07) for total animal protein and 1.17 (95% confidence interval: 0.72-1.91; P-trend=0.35) for total plant protein. CONCLUSIONS In middle-aged men, higher protein intake was marginally associated with increased risk of HF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03221127.
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