Association between the Phytochemical Index and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Adults

Abstract Background There are few publications about the association between the phytochemical index (PI) and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Objective To evaluate the association between the PI and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adults. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with 141 adults, between 20 and 59 years of age. We analyzed lifestyle (physical activity), sociodemographic data (sex, age), anthropometric data (body mass index [BMI], waist circumference [WC]), biochemical data (lipid profile, blood glucose), food consumption, and phytochemical intake (expressed as PI = daily energy derived from phytochemical-rich foods ÷ total daily energy intake × 100). We performed bivariate analyses (Spearman’s correlation) and multiple linear regression adjusted for potential confounders, considering p