(P22-062-24) Relationship Between Dietary Patterns and Angina Frequency in Women With Angina

Objectives: Angina pectoris is a common symptom of myocardial ischemia, and women are more impacted by it compared to men. Angina occurs due to obstructive coronary artery disease (oCAD) of the larger epicardial vessels or coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) of the mid-sized arteries and smaller arterioles. While unhealthy eating patterns are associated with heart disease, dietary choices have not been investigated adequately in women diagnosed with oCAD or CMD. We aimed to examine the relationship between angina frequency and dietary habits in women with CMD and oCAD.

Methods: Data from 16 postmenopausal women (6 with oCAD and 10 with CMD) were analyzed in the Mental Stress Reactivity in CMD study. Angina frequency was assessed using the validated subscale of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) (0-100), where a higher score is better. Dietary patterns were collected using a 9-item self-recall questionnaire assessing daily servings of (1) whole grain and high-fiber starch, (2) fruits, (3) vegetables, (4) dairy products, (5) protein, (6) processed meats, (7) fried foods, (8) sweets, and (9) sugary drinks. Each item had seven possible choices ranging from never to everyday, and a value between 0-6 was attributed to each answer. Total nutrition scores were then calculated, with higher scores indicating healthier dietary habits. Descriptive statistics, unpaired t-test, and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data.

Results: Women were 62.1 ± 10.3 years of age, had a BMI of 26.6 ± 3.9 kg/m², 75% had hypertension, 50% hyperlipidemia, and 25% diabetes. There was no significant difference in angina frequency between women with oCAD and CMD (68 ± 24 and 69 ± 28, p=0.95, respectively). The average nutrition score was 36.6 ± 6.8 out of 54 points. Higher nutrition scores indicate healthier dietary patterns and significantly correlate with lower angina frequency in our study population (p=0.02, r=0.5).

Conclusions: Higher angina frequency in postmenopausal women due to underlying oCAD or CMD is associated with unhealthy dietary patterns. Further studies should explore implementing nutrition education and dietary interventions to improve outcomes in patients with angina.

Funding Sources: NIH grants on Specialized Center of Research Excellence in Sex Differences (SCORE) 1U54AG062334, 1R01HL157311, and Mrs. Marcia Taylor.