(P17-033-25) Greater Intake of Pulses Is Associated With Lower Risk of All-Cause Mortality in a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adults

Objectives: Greater intake of pulses and legumes is associated with higher intake of key micronutrients and higher diet quality. Greater intake of pulses and legumes is also associated with reductions in LDL cholesterol and obesity incidence, as well as lower risk of incident coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer. However, less is known about the association between pulse intake and mortality risk. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the association between pulse intake and mortality risk in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States.

Methods: Dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were acquired for 61,685 participants ≥20 y and linked to death records from the Public Use Linked Mortality Files. A total of 5,836 deaths from all causes were observed over a mean follow-up period of 9.6 years. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the risk of all-cause mortality associated with increasing amounts of pulse intake.

Results: Compared to non-consumers, participants that consumed the greatest amount of pulses had a hazard ratio of 0.69 (95%CI: 0.51-0.93; P=0.015). Each additional ounce of pulses consumed per day was associated with a risk of hazard ratio of 0.94 (0.91-0.99; P=0.014).

Conclusions: Greater intake of pulses was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, but only at higher levels of intake.

Funding Sources: US Department of Agriculture