Background: Adults in South Asian countries have high chances of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) as compared to the developed nations. CAD is among the primary non-communicable causes of death in this region. Dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking hypertension, diabetes are considered as important risk factors for CVD. Methods: A case-control study was conducted, with data was collected from the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore and the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital. A total of 500 subjects were selected, of which 250 were coronary artery disease patients and 250 were healthy controls. The CAD patients were selected from the outpatient department (OPD) and emergency unit of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital. Results: The mean age of CAD patients was 57.83 ± 7.51 years and that of the controls was 55.32 ± 6.40 years. There was a significant difference in the mean values of biochemical parameters among cases and controls except for fasting blood sugar levels while there was a significant difference (p-value: 0.000) in the mean values of systolic blood pressure among cases and controls. Similarly, the values of diastolic blood pressure were also significantly different (p-value: 0.000) among cases and controls. The values of total blood cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides and HDL were also significantly different among cases and controls. There was a significant relationship between consumption of chicken, eggs, beef, yogurt, junk food, fresh vegetables, and fruits, and incidence of CAD. Consuming milk every day, and consuming fish weekly and consuming ghee had no significant association with the risk of coronary artery disease. On the other hand, from the findings of the unadjusted model, there was a significant association between CAD risk and intake of chicken, beef, egg, yogurt, junk food, fish, vegetables, and fruits. Conclusions: Diet is a risk factor for coronary artery disease and can be adjusted to reduce the risk of CAD. A key finding is that consumption of chicken, beef, eggs and junk food are associated with a high risk of CAD whereas consumption of ghee is not associated with the risk of CAD.

Background and objectives Hypertension (HTN) is one of the leading risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and accounts for substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of HTN and its associated factors among healthcare workers (HCWs) at the Gaza Strip’s governmental hospitals and primary healthcare centres (PHCs). Design Cross-sectional study. Settings, participants and methods The study with multistage stratified random sampling was conducted in 10 hospitals and 15 PHCs of the Ministry of Health in Palestine from February to May 2020. Self-administered face-to-face interview questionnaires were used to collect information on sociodemographics, lifestyles, health profiles and health-related risk factors. The anthropometric parameters were measured, including height, weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. HTN was diagnosed by taking any antihypertensive medication, or the mean blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg. The SPSS V.26.0 software was used for data analyses. Results A total of 1850 participants, with a mean (SD) age of 36.6 (7.9) years, including 12.2% physicians, 65.3% nurses, 18.1% paramedics and 4.4% non-medical personnel, were included in this study. The prevalence of HTN among HCWs was 8.4%. The associated modifiable factors of HTN were body mass index (BMI), smoking, coffee intake and physical activity (p<0.05). The anthropometric parameters were considerably higher in HTN than in non-HTN (p<0.05). In adjusted models, age, BMI, WC, HC, type of work, workplace, working experience, smoking, coffee intake, physical activity and family history of HTN showed statistically significant associations with HTN (p<0.05). Conclusions The modifiable factors, including smoking, coffee intake, physical activity and BMI, were associated with the risk of HTN. These findings indicate that effective efforts in maintaining a healthy lifestyle are needed to prevent HTN among HCWs.

Background & aims: Recent studies, primarily in developed countries, suggest that higher dietary calcium intake is associated with lower odds of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, evidence on this association is lacking in China, where the population has unique dietary patterns and relatively low calcium intake. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of dietary calcium and its major sources with the likelihood of AMD in a Chinese population. Methods: A case-control study was performed within the frame of the Xi'an Eye Study. A total of 284 AMD cases and 284 matched controls who completed the eye examination and a detailed semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire were included in the present analysis. Multivariable-adjusted conditional logistic regression models were applied to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of dietary calcium and its main sources. Results: In the multivariable adjusted model, an increasing amount of dietary calcium intake was associated with significantly lower odds of AMD, especially among participants with a dietary calcium intake of less than 800 mg per 2000 kcal per day. The OR for the comparison of the top with the bottom tertile of dietary calcium intake was 0.46 (95%CI: 0.23, 0.90; P_-trend = 0.02). Regarding major sources of calcium, a significant inverse association was only observed for dairy-based calcium intake, with an OR of 0.45 (95%CI: 0.23, 0.89; P_-trend = 0.02). Consumption of dairy products, particularly milk (OR: 0.45 from a comparison of ≥4 servings per week with never/rarely; 95%CI: 0.22, 0.90; P_-trend = 0.05) and yogurt (OR: 0.38 from a comparison of ≥2 servings per week with never/rarely; 95%CI: 0.19, 0.78; P_-trend = 0.01), was also associated with lower odds of AMD. No significant associations were found for milk powder or dietary intake of calcium from vegetables or legumes. Conclusions: Higher intake of calcium and its major food sources, such as milk and yogurt, was associated with a significantly decreased likelihood of AMD in a Chinese population with relatively low dietary calcium intake. These findings align with current public health recommendations for maintaining adequate calcium status and emphasize that the health implications of calcium may depend on its dietary sources.

Background: Previous research on diet and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has emphasized primarily particular nutrients or foods, and the influence of comprehensive dietary patterns that represent actual eating behaviors is largely unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between dietary patterns and the odds of AMD. Methods: A case–control study involving 246 participants with AMD and 246 controls are individually matched by age and gender. Dietary patterns were identified through principal component analysis using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were applied to examine the association between the extracted dietary patterns and the likelihood of AMD. Results: Three major dietary patterns were found, accounting for 50.59% of the total variance explained. The prudent dietary pattern represented a high intake of vegetables, fruits, soybeans and its products, edible fungi and algae, and nuts were associated with reduced odds ratios (ORs) of the highest tertile compared to the lowest tertile (OR, 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.14−0.59, p for trend = 0.001). The estimated likelihood for AMD in the highest tertile of egg and milk dietary pattern intake, which is characterized by a high intake of eggs, milk and dairy products, and refined grains, was 0.40 (95% CI, 0.23−0.67, p for trend < 0.001) compared with those in the lowest tertile. No association with AMD was identified for the animal dietary pattern (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Adherence to dietary patterns rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, refined grains, eggs, milk and dairy products is associated with reduced odds of AMD, emphasizing the potential relevance of dietary habits to visual health among middle-aged and elderly adults.