Dietary quality is associated with reduced risk of diabetes among adults in Northern China: a cross-sectional study

Exploring the traditional Chinese diet and its association with health status-a systematic review

CONTEXT

Increased adherence to a traditional Chinese diet (TCD) could reduce the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable diseases. Currently, there is no consistent definition of the TCD in the literature, and its associations with health outcomes have not yet been identified.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to assess the definition of the TCD, in the literature, and to evaluate whether the TCD, as described, is associated with health outcomes.

DATA SOURCES

Fourteen databases were searched up to April 25, 2022.

DATA EXTRACTION

Three reviewers (in pairs) independently screened and extracted data. A modified risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the quality of the studies assessing the TCD definition; the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool were used to assess the quality of the observational studies and randomized controlled trials assessing associations between the TCD and health outcomes.

DATA ANALYSIS

Ninety-nine studies were identified that assessed the TCD definition. In at least 75% of the studies, rice and leafy vegetables were consistently reported as food groups that characterize the TCD; the most frequently cited food items were white rice, spinach, bokchoy, and cabbage. Fish and seafood, pork, and pork products were consistently reported in studies exclusively referring to the TCD consumed in southern China (n = 21 studies), whereas wheat and wheat products were commonly reported in studies focusing on northern China (n = 14 studies). Fifteen studies reported on the quantities of food groups that are characteristic of the TCD, but their findings were inconsistent. Of the 99 studies, 54 assessed associations with health outcomes. The TCD was overall inversely associated with obesity risk and weight gain, while relationships between the TCD and other health outcomes were inconsistent.

CONCLUSION

Further studies are needed to determine the quantities of foods consumed in the TCD and to establish a consistent definition for further exploration of the TCD's potential role in preventing non-communicable diseases.

The associations between social support, self-regulatory fatigue, and health-promoting behaviors among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional survey

Background

The prevalence of diabetes in China is increasing annually, posing a serious public health challenge. Health-promoting behaviors are crucial for enhancing the quality of life in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, the relationship between self-regulatory fatigue in type 2 diabetes, social support, and health-promoting behaviors remains unclear.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the interconnections among social support, self-regulatory fatigue, and health-promoting behaviors, as well as to examine the mediating role of self-regulatory fatigue in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was employed using the Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale (SRF-S), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and the Health Promotion Scale for People with Diabetes Mellitus (T2DHPS). These scales assessed social support, self-regulatory fatigue, and health-promoting behaviors in 316 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, exploring the relationships among these variables. SPSS and AMOS were used for statistical analysis to investigate the mediating effects.

Results

Social support in type 2 diabetes mellitus positively predicted health-promoting behaviors (β = 0.401, p < 0.001). The regression coefficients of self-regulatory fatigue in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus social support (β = -0.502, p < 0.001), and health-promoting behaviors (β = -0.331, p < 0.001), both exhibiting significant differences. Self-regulatory fatigue mediated the relationship between social support and health-promoting behaviors in these patients, with a mediation effect of 0.166, consisting of 29.28% of the total effect.

Conclusion

A significant interplay exists among social support, self-regulatory fatigue, and health-promoting behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The findings suggest that self-regulatory fatigue mediates the relationship between social support and health-promoting behaviors. Healthcare professionals should focus on enhancing patients' social support to mitigate self-regulatory fatigue and improve health behaviors.

Diet Quality Variation among Polish Older Adults: Association with Selected Metabolic Diseases, Demographic Characteristics and Socioeconomic Status

A lot of civilization diseases are related to a low-quality diet, which is often determined by environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between the quality of diet and the selected metabolic diseases, as well as demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status among Polish seniors. The study was conducted on the basis of the KomPAN questionnaire (Questionnaire for Dietary Views and Habits). The research sample was chosen arbitrarily. In addition, in order to diversify the research sample, the use of the snowball method was used. The study was conducted from June to September 2019 in a group of 437 people aged 60 or more years in two regions of Poland. Two diet quality indices with a potentially beneficial (pHDI-10) and adverse impact on health (pHDI-14) were selected based on data on the frequency of consumption of 24 food groups using the KomPAN questionnaire data development procedure. Based on the intensities (low, moderate, high) and combinations of these indices, three diet quality index profiles were developed with potentially different influences on health: lower (lowest), middle (intermediate) and upper (highest). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between diet quality indices, some metabolic diseases (obesity, arterial hypertension, diabetes type 2), demographic characteristics (gender, age, place of residence), and socioeconomic status (low, moderate, high). It was shown that in the examined seniors with selected metabolic diseases, the higher quality diet was more common among women, urban inhabitants and subjects with higher socioeconomic status. In turn, among the elderly with obesity, a high-quality diet was observed more often in people aged 60-74 years and those with type II diabetes at ages 75 years or more. The relationships between diet quality, demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status were demonstrated, but it was not possible to obtain unambiguous results on the relationship of these variables with the occurrence of metabolic diseases. Further extended studies should assess the importance of diet quality in reducing the risk of metabolic diseases in the elderly, taking into account the variability resulting from the environmental characteristics of the study population.

The Increased Risk of Hypertension Caused by Irrational Dietary Pattern May Be Associated with Th17 Cell in the Middle-Aged and Elderly Rural Residents of Beijing City, Northern China: A 1:1 Matched Case-Control Study

An irrational diet has been widely considered as one of the vital risk factors of hypertension. Previous studies have indicated that immune dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenic process of hypertension, while fewer studies have mentioned whether CD4+ T cells are involved in the association between dietary pattern and hypertension. This present 1:1 matched case-control study was conducted to analyze the association among dietary pattern, CD4+ T cells and hypertension. A total of 56 patients with diagnosed hypertension and 56 subjects without diagnosed hypertension in the rural area of Beijing City, northern China, were matched by age and gender, and then classified into a case group and a control group, respectively. Compared with the control group, higher frequencies of pro-inflammatory CD4+ T cells, such as Th1, Th1(IFN-γ), Th17(IL-17A), and Th1/17 (IFN-γ/IL-17A), were found in the case group (p < 0.05). A significantly higher level of circulating IL-17A was also found in the case group (7.4 pg/mL vs. 8.2 pg/mL, p < 0.05). Five dietary patterns were identified using exploratory factor analysis. An irrational dietary pattern, characterized by high-factor loadings of refined wheat (0.65), meat (0.78), poultry (0.76), and alcoholic beverage (0.73), was positively associated with SBP (β = 5.38, 95%CI = 0.73~10.03, p < 0.05) in the multiple linear regression model with the adjustment of potential covariates. The other dietary patterns showed no significant association with blood pressure. Furthermore, meat, processed meat, and animal viscera were positively correlated with the peripheral Th17 or Th1/17. In conclusion, the irrational dietary pattern characterized by refined wheat, meat, poultry, and alcoholic beverage, was positively correlated with blood pressure, and may increase the risk of hypertension in the rural area of Beijing, northern China. Th17, a subset of the CD4+ T helper cells, may be involved in the association between irrational dietary pattern and hypertension.

Maternal diet quality during pregnancy and its influence on low birth weight and small for gestational age: a birth cohort in Beijing, China

This study aimed to describe diet quality of pregnant women and explore the association between maternal diet and the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA). A total of 3856 participants from a birth cohort in Beijing, China, were recruited between June 2018 and February 2019. Maternal diet in the first and second trimesters was assessed by the Chinese diet balance index for pregnancy (DBI-P), using data collected by the inconsecutive 2-d 24-h dietary recalls. Logistic regressions were performed to explore the independent effects of DBI-P components on LBW and SGA. The prevalence of LBW and SGA was 3·8% and 6·0%, respectively. Dietary intakes of the participants were imbalanced. The proportions of participants having insufficient intake of vegetables (87·3% and 86·6%), dairy product (95·9% and 96·7%) and aquatic foods (80·5% and 85·3%) were high in both trimesters. The insufficiency of fruit intake was more severe in the second (85·2%) than that in the first trimester (22·5%) (P < 0·05). After adjusting for potential confounders, the intake of fruits and dairy in the second trimester was negatively associated with the risk of LBW (OR = 0·850, 95% CI: 0·723, 0·999) and SGA (OR = 0·885, 95% CI: 0·787, 0.996), respectively. Sufficient consumption of fruits and dairy products in pregnancy may be suggested in order to prevent LBW and SGA.

Unfavorable Dietary Quality Contributes to Elevated Risk of Ischemic Stroke among Residents in Southwest China: Based on the Chinese Diet Balance Index 2016 (DBI-16)

Background: Little is known about the effects of dietary quality on the risk of ischemic stroke among Southwest Chinese, and evidence from prospective studies is needed. We aimed to evaluate the associations of ischemic stroke with dietary quality assessed by the Chinese Diet Balance Index 2016 (DBI-2016). Methods: The Guizhou Population Health Cohort Study (GPHCS) recruited 9280 residents aged 18 to 95 years from 12 areas in Guizhou Province, Southwest China. Baseline investigations, including information collections of diet and demographic characteristics, and anthropometric measurements were performed from 2010 to 2012. Dietary quality was assessed by using DBI-2016. The primary outcome was incident ischemic stroke diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) until December 2020. Data analyzed in the current study was from 7841 participants with complete information of diet assessments and ischemic stroke certification. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the risk of ischemic stroke associated with dietary quality. Results: During a median follow-up of 6.63 years (range 1.11 to 9.53 years), 142 participants were diagnosed with ischemic stroke. Participants with ischemic stroke had a more excessive intake of cooking oils, alcoholic beverages, and salt, and had more inadequacy in meats than those without ischemic stroke. (p < 0.05). Compared with participants in the lowest quartile (Q1), those in the highest quartile (Q4) of the higher bound score (HBS) and of the dietary quality distance (DQD) had an elevated risk for ischemic stroke, with the corresponding hazard ratios (HRs) of 3.31 (95%CI: 1.57−6.97) and 2.26 (95%CI: 1.28−4.00), respectively, after adjustment for age, ethnic group, education level, marriage status, smoking and waist circumference, and the medical history of diabetes and hypertension at baseline. In addition, excessive intake levels (score 1−6) of cooking oils, excessive intake levels (score 1−6) of salt, and inadequate intake levels (score −12 to −7) of dietary variety were positively associated with an increased risk for ischemic stroke, with the multiple HRs of 3.00 (95%CI: 1.77−5.07), 2.03 (95%CI: 1.33−3.10) and 5.40 (95%CI: 1.70−17.20), respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggest that unfavorable dietary quality, including overall excessive consumption, excessive intake of cooking oils and salt, or under adequate dietary diversity, may increase the risk for ischemic stroke.

Socioeconomic Determinants of Diet Quality on Overweight and Obesity in Adults Aged 40-59 Years in Inner Mongolia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: This study investigated the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES), diet quality and overweight and obesity in adults aged 40-59 years in Inner Mongolia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on the survey of Chronic Disease and Nutrition Monitoring in Adults in Inner Mongolia in 2015. Diet quality was evaluated by the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score (aMeds). SES was measured by household annual income. Generalized estimating equations and path analysis were performed to determine the association of SES, diet quality and overweight and obesity. Results: Among participants, 63.0% had overweight and obesity. In high SES group, 66.4% had overweight and obesity. Higher SES was associated with a higher risk of overweight and obesity (OR = 1.352, 95%CI: 1.020-1.793). And higher aMeds was associated with a lower risk of overweight and obesity (OR = 0.597, 95%CI: 0.419-0.851). There was a positive correlation between SES and the intake of red and processed meat (r = 0.132, p < 0.05). Higher intake of red and processed meat was associated with lower diet quality (β = -0.34). And lower diet quality was associated with a higher risk of overweight and obesity (β = -0.10). Conclusion: In Inner Mongolia, during the period of economic transition, people aged 40-59 years in high SES had poor diet quality, which was related to a higher risk of overweight and obesity.