Study population
We conducted a nested cross-sectional study within PERSIAN (Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran) cohort study. The original objectives of the cohort were to assess and improve the health of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Staff. For the current study, 658 healthy Iranian adult participants (321 men and 337 women) from the PERSIAN Organizational Cohort study in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. This population-based prospective organization cohort study was conducted among 10000 randomly selected participants aged 30-70 years in Mashhad, Iran (2017–2020) as part of the “Persian cohort” research project. Additional details about the PERSIAN Cohort Study explained elsewhere (13). Exclusion criteria were: self-report of previous cardiovascular disease and those with the presence of diabetes, history of severe diseases (All types of cancer, Estrogen Replacement Therapy, drug abuse or major psychiatric illness), using regular supplementation with any of the vitamins or minerals, pregnancy and lactating, clinical conditions that could hamper hemodynamic measurements (absence of femoral pulse, systolic BP < 90 mmHg) and other factors that may have influenced AS like extreme beliefs or behavior related to diet. The Ethics Committee of the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences approved this study (Code of Ethics: IR.MUMS.MEDICAL.REC.1397.322). All participants signed a consent form approved by the ethics committee.