# Dietary Patterns and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2020 · $663,685

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This competing renewal application represents a translational continuation of our long-standing research on
dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease (CVD) that extends to the interconnections between dietary
patterns, gut microbes, and metabolomic profiles. The recently released 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans recommends three dietary patterns - the Healthy US-Style Eating Pattern, the Healthy
Mediterranean-Style Eating Pattern, and the Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern. In this project, we will examine
the associations between these three recommended dietary patterns and CVD risk in four large prospective
US cohorts, with a particular focus on potential racial/ethnic differences. In Aim 1, we will create updated
indices for each dietary pattern (Healthy Eating Index [HEI]-2015, Mediterranean Diet Index [MDI], Healthful
Plant-based Diet Index [hPDI]), and evaluate potential racial/ethnic differences in their associations with CVD
in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), NHSII, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS), including
231,000 non-Hispanic whites, 3,600 African Americans, 3,000 Asians, and 2,400 Hispanics. We will also
construct the three diet indices in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL;
n=13,000) and evaluate their associations with CVD during 12 years of follow-up. Secondarily, we will examine
the associations of these diet indices with CVD in diverse Hispanic groups (Puerto Rican, Mexican,
Central/South American, Cuban, and Dominican). In Aim 2, we will evaluate the relationship between
adherence to the three dietary patterns and plasma metabolic profiles (including CVD-related candidate
metabolites and novel metabolic pathways based on >500 metabolites) in a subsample of 1,100 NHS/HPFS
participants and 477 HCHS/SOL participants. In addition, we will identify and characterize gut microbiome
markers, via shotgun metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing, that are associated with the three
dietary patterns among 621 NHSII/HPFS participants and 400 HCHS/SOL participants who provided or will
provide stool samples. In secondary analyses, we will examine associations between the three dietary pattern
scores and gut microbial features stratified by Hispanic sub-groups and compare them with non-Hispanic
whites. The proposed study, with a unique prospective US Hispanic cohort, will be the first to assess
adherence to dietary guidelines in relation to CVD risk in this population. Using state-of-the-art metabolomics
and microbiome technologies, this study will also be among the first to explore potential mechanisms through
which long-term adherence to recommended dietary patterns influences CVD risk in diverse racial/ethnic
groups. Built on well-established long-term cohorts, archived biospecimens, and advanced -omics technology,
this competing renewal will advance our understanding of the cardio-metabolic benefits associated with healthy
dietary patterns, providing novel insight ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9898419
- **Project number:** 5R01HL060712-18
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Frank B Hu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $663,685
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1998-08-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9898419

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9898419, Dietary Patterns and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease (5R01HL060712-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9898419. Licensed CC0.

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