Adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) in postmenopausal women with atherosclerosis beneficially affects cardiovascular disease progression and certain foods play a more prominent role than others, according to a new study from researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and Wake Forest University.
Researchers devised a statistical model that assessed adherence to the DGA and then related it to progression of atherosclerosis in women. The study, published in the July 2009 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that adherence to recommendations for whole-grain, total fat, and cholesterol intake were most associated with decreased atherosclerotic progression.