Diet quality and chronic axonal polyneuropathy: a population‐based study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between diet quality and chronic axonal polyneuropathy.MethodsBetween June 2013 and January 2017, among 1650 participants of the Rotterdam Study (median age 69.1 years, 54.2% women), diet quality was quantified based on food frequency questionnaires as a sum score of adherence (yes/no) to 14 components of the Dutch dietary guidelines. Presence of polyneuropathy was determined based on a questionnaire, neurological examination of the legs, and nerve conduction studies. We used logistic regression to associate diet quality with the presence of chronic axonal polyneuropathy and linear regression to associate with sural sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude in participants without polyneuropathy. Results were adjusted for age, sex, time between measurements, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, smoking, kidney function, and education.ResultsOverall diet quality was not associated with chronic axonal polyneuropathy (odds ratio [OR] = 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88; 1.12, P = 0.842), nor with sural SNAP amplitude in participants without polyneuropathy (difference = 0.01, 95% CI −0.14; 0.15, P = 0.993). Although not surviving multiple testing, a nominally significant association was found between salt intake ≤6 g/day and presence of chronic axonal polyneuropathy (OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.35; 0.86, P = 0.008).InterpretationWe did not find an association between diet quality and chronic axonal polyneuropathy.

Cardiovascular health and chronic axonal polyneuropathy: A population‐based study

“…Firstly, the different components of cardiovascular health score were assigned similar weights, although it is acknowledged that improving certain components would have a greater impact to reduce the risk for disease than other components. For instance, in previous studies, we did not find an association between diet, one of the health behaviour components, and polyneuropathy [7]. This could be because the cardiovascular health score accounts for the multifactorial nature of the disease by combining risk factors, or the effect of the health behaviour score is merely driven by other components.…”

“…We found that both cardiovascular health score and health behaviour score were associated with polyneuropathy. This is of interest, as our previous work did not show a significant association between diet, a component of the health behaviour score, and polyneuropathy in this population [7]. As health behaviours are modifiable, changing lifestyle may be used for possible prevention, delay in progression or even treatment of chronic axonal polyneuropathy.…”

“…The most common risk factors are diabetes mellitus, vitamin deficiencies, alcohol abuse and other toxic factors such as chemotherapy [2]. In recent years, there has been more emphasis on the association between metabolic syndrome and chronic axonal polyneuropathy [3–6] and additionally on the effect of lifestyle factors such as diet [7,8]. However, in clinical settings, risk factors are not evident in up to 30% of patients with chronic axonal polyneuropathy and this percentage is even higher in the general population [9,10].…”