The association between dietary meal intake habits and coronary artery stenosis and cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Background and objective: We are not aware of studies examining the association between dietary meal intake habits (DMIH) and severity of coronary artery stenosis (CAS). This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between DMIH and the severity of CAS as well as cardiometabolic risk factors in adults undergoing coronary angiography.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 720 patients undergoing coronary angiography (aged 35-75 years) who were admitted to Afshar Hospital, a referral hospital for cardiovascular diseases in Yazd, Iran. Data on DMIH were gathered by interview. Blood samples were taken for biochemical analysis. Blood pressure, anthropometric indices, and body composition were also evaluated. The relationship between DMIH and the severity of CAS [examined by angiography based on Gensini Score (GS) and Syntax Score (SS)] and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed using logistic regression and the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), respectively, in crude and multivariable adjusted models.

Results: After adjustment for all possible confounding variables, the study revealed that people who ate 3 meals/day had a lower risk of severe CAS compared to people who ate 2 or fewer meals (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.26, 0.88, P-trend = 0.02). There was an inverse association between the number of snacks /day and the severity of CAS (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.87, P-trend = 0.02). There was also an inverse relationship between breakfast frequency/week and the severity of CAS based on both GS and SS (P < 0.05). Breakfast consumption, meal frequency, lunch consumption, snack frequency, and more food consumption on holidays were also associated with different cardiometabolic markers and anthropometric measures (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, meal frequency and breakfast consumption might be inversely associated with CAS and cardiometabolic risk factors.