The diet model and metabolic syndrome components: Results from the Cordoba Health and Dietary Habits Investigation

Objectives: Diet, one of the main risk factors for both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and non-communicable dis-eases (NCDs), is a multidimensional feature whose complexity relies on the individual and contextual charac-teristics of foods. The aim of this study was to build a diet model and estimate its relationship with MetS components in two Argentinian populations. Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study that assessed bio-socio-anthropometrical varia-bles and dietary habits using food frequency questionnaires. Dietary patterns (DPs) were drawn out using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A structural equation model (SEM) was used to explore and confirm theo-retical and empirical relationships between DPs and the diet model. The association between individuals' adherence to DPs and MetS were assessed using a multiple logistic regression analysis. We selected two cities in central Argentina according to socio-eco-environmental characteristics. Participants included 493 men and women (1:1 ratio) from 35 to 65 y of age. Results: We identified four DPs: traditional Argentine (TA; processed meats, meats and eggs, fats, starchy veg-etables), prudent (Pr; vegetables, fruits, milk, and yogurt), alcohol and snacks (AS), and sweets (S; candies and sodas). TA and AS DPs were associated with increased waist circumference. The S DP showed a strong effect on hypertension. Moderate adherence to the TA DP was positively associated with dyslipidemia but negatively with hypertension whenever individuals did not adhere to the AS DP. TA was positively correlated to AS and S, but inversely with Pr. Conclusion: This diet model integrated those food groups in an associative structure describing per se a syn-thesis of the Argentine dietary habits and their association with three of the five components of MetS. (c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study constructed a diet model and identified four main dietary patterns among two Argentinian populations, showing associations with different components of metabolic syndrome.