Association between Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure and the Risk of Dyslipidemia among Community-Dwelling Adults: Effect Modification by Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables

Background: Recent studies suggest an association between long-term air pollution, diet, and health outcomes, but there are limited studies on how short-term air pollution affects dyslipidemia in particular. We aimed to investigate this association with modified fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: The Cardiovascular Disease Association Study (CAVAS) included 8,779 participants between 2007 and 2016. Particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were estimated using community multiscale air quality models. Short-term air pollution exposure was defined as a moving average over a lag time from “lag 1 days” to “lag 14 days.” Fruit and vegetable intake was categorized into 'total vegetables (TV),’ 'non-salted vegetables (NSV),' 'salted vegetables (SV),' 'fruits (F),' 'non-salted vegetables + fruits (NSVF),' and 'total vegetables + fruits (TVF).' Dyslipidemia was defined by total cholesterol ≥240 mg/dl, LDL cholesterol ≥160 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol