Dietary fat intake and its association with risk of selected components of the metabolic syndrome among rural South Indians

Habitual food consumption, eating behavior and meal-timing among Jordanian adults with elevated Blood pressure: a cross-sectional population-based study

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of elevated blood pressure (BP) has been raised worldwide. Food consumption, eating habits, and nutritional lifestyle related to meal timing, skipping meals, and meal contents have recently received more attention in studies on BP and metabolic syndrome. Purpose: This study evaluated the association between habitual food consumption, eating behavior, and meal timing with BP among Jordanian adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study included 771 Jordanian adults. A food frequency questionnaire was completed. Data about eating habits, meal timing, and emotional eating were collected. BP was measured.

RESULTS

The prevalence of less than recommended intake of vegetables, milk, protein, and fruits was higher in participants with elevated BP (69.2%, 90.2%, 58.9%, and 25.5%, respectively) as compared to the normal BP group (p < 0.001). Consuming vegetables and milk less than the recommended was reported to significantly increase the likelihood of elevated BP by OR= (1.60, and 2.75 (95%CI: 1.06-2.40; 1.62-4.66). Hence, consuming more than recommended fruit reduced the risk of elevated BP by OR = 0.56 (95%CI: 0.38-0.82). A 63.2% of elevated BP participants have three meals daily, a higher percentage of intake of one (23.5%) and two (45.7%) snacks. However, they had a higher percentage of morning eaters (50.7%), had lunch between 1:00-6:00 PM (92.7%), and had dinner between 6:00 and 9:00 PM (68.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

Although Jordanian adults with elevated BP appear to have healthy eating habits and meal timing and frequency, their habitual food consumption falls short of the daily recommendations for milk, fruits, vegetables, and protein.

Lactobacillus fermentum MCC2760 abrogate high-fat induced perturbations in the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids in rats

AIM

This study in hyperlipidemic rats elucidated the effect of Lactobacillus fermentum MCC2760 on intestinal bile acid (BA) uptake, hepatic BA synthesis, and enterohepatic BA transporters.

MAIN METHODS

Diets rich in saturated fatty acids [coconut oil (CO)] and omega-6 fatty acids [sunflower oil (SFO)] at 25 g fat/100 g diet were fed to rats with or without MCC2760 (10⁹ cells/kg body weight). After 60 days of feeding, intestinal BA uptake and expression of Asbt, Osta/b mRNA and protein, and hepatic expression of Ntcp, Bsep, Cyp7a1, Fxr, Shp, Lrh-1, and Hnf4a mRNA were measured. Hepatic expression of HMG-CoA reductase protein and its activity and total BAs in serum, liver, and feces were assessed.

KEY FINDINGS

Hyperlipidaemic groups (HF-CO and HF-SFO) had: 1) increased intestinal BA uptake, Asbt and Osta/b mRNA expression, and ASBT staining 2) increased BA in serum, 3) decreased hepatic expression of Ntcp, Bsep, and Cyp7a1 mRNA, and NTCP staining 4) increased activity of HMG-CoA reductase, 5) increased hepatic expression of Fxr and Shp mRNA, 6) decreased hepatic expression of Lrh-1 and Hnf4a mRNA, and 7) decreased BA in Feces when compared to their respective controls (N-CO and N-SFO) and experimental groups (HF-CO + LF and HF-SFO + LF). Immunostaining revealed increased intestinal Asbt and hepatic Ntcp protein expression in the HF-CO and HF-SFO groups compared to control and experimental groups.

SIGNIFICANCE

Incorporating probiotics like MCC2760 abrogated hyperlipidemia-induced changes in the intestinal uptake, hepatic synthesis, and enterohepatic transporters of BA in rats. Probiotic MCC2760 can be used to modulate lipid metabolism in high-fat-induced hyperlipidemic conditions.

The Association Between Fasting Blood Sugar and Index of Nutritional Quality in Adult Women

Aim

It's unclear whether diet quality affects glycemic management. The index of nutritional quality (INQ) can examine diets both quantitatively and qualitatively (INQ). Hence, this study aimed to determine whether INQ and fasting blood sugar (FBS) are related among Iranian women.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 360 adult Iranian women. Data were collected on the participants' general characteristics, medical history, anthropometric indices, physical activity, and dietary intake. For nutrient intake assessment, a valid food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used, and INQ was then calculated using the daily nutrient intake.

Results

After adjusting for age, FBS was significantly inverse associated with INQ for vitamins A (B = −0.193, p < 0.01), magnesium (B = −0.137, p < 0.01), phosphor (B = −0.175, p < 0.01), zinc (B = −0.113, p < 0.01), vitamin K (B = −0.197, p < 0.01), manganese (B = −0.111, p < 0.01) and selenium (B = −0.123, p < 0.01). The association between FBS and INQ for Se and Mn was disappeared after further adjustment for gender, body mass index (BMI), menopausal status, and total energy intake.

Conclusion

There was a significant inverse relationship between FBS and the INQ of vitamin A, manganese, phosphor, zinc, vitamin K, magnesium, and selenium. Prospective cohort studies should be conducted to establish a causal relationship between FBS and INQ.

Associations between Dietary Patterns and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors—A Longitudinal Analysis among High-Risk Individuals for Diabetes in Kerala, India

The association between dietary patterns and cardiometabolic risk factors is not well understood among adults in India, particularly among those at high risk for diabetes. For this study, we analyzed the data of 1007 participants (age 30–60 years) from baseline and year one and two follow-ups from the Kerala Diabetes Prevention Program using multi-level mixed effects modelling. Dietary intake was measured using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis. Two dietary patterns were identified: a “snack-fruit” pattern (highly loaded with fats and oils, snacks, and fruits) and a “rice-meat-refined wheat” pattern (highly loaded with meat, rice, and refined wheat). The “snack-fruit” pattern was associated with increased triglycerides (mg/dL) (β = 6.76, 95% CI 2.63–10.89), while the “rice-meat-refined wheat” pattern was associated with elevated Hb1Ac (percentage) (β = 0.04, 95% CI 0.01, 0.07) and central obesity (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.01, 1.34). These findings may help inform designing dietary interventions for the prevention of diabetes and improving cardiometabolic risk factors in high-diabetes-risk individuals in the Indian setting.

Interaction between Dietary Fat Intake and Metabolic Genetic Risk Score on 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in a Turkish Adult Population

Previous studies have pointed out a link between vitamin D status and metabolic traits, however, consistent evidence has not been provided yet. This cross-sectional study has used a nutrigenetic approach to investigate the interaction between metabolic-genetic risk score (GRS) and dietary intake on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in 396 unrelated Turkish adults, aged 24-50 years. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was significantly lower in those with a metabolic-GRS ≥ 1 risk allele than those with a metabolic-GRS < 1 risk allele (p = 0.020). A significant interaction between metabolic-GRS and dietary fat intake (energy%) on serum 25(OH)D levels was identified (Pinteraction = 0.040). Participants carrying a metabolic-GRS ≥ 1 risk allele and consuming a high fat diet (≥38% of energy = 122.3 ± 52.51 g/day) had significantly lower serum 25(OH)D concentration (p = 0.006) in comparison to those consuming a low-fat diet (<38% of energy = 82.5 ± 37.36 g/d). In conclusion, our study suggests a novel interaction between metabolic-GRS and dietary fat intake on serum 25(OH)D level, which emphasises that following the current dietary fat intake recommendation (<35% total fat) could be important in reducing the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this Turkish population. Nevertheless, further larger studies are needed to verify this interaction, before implementing personalized dietary recommendations for the maintenance of optimal vitamin D status.

Association between mustard oil consumption and BMI in India

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the association between predominant vegetable oil consumed and BMI of adult women and men in India, with emphasis on predominant consumption of mustard oil.

DESIGN

Two nationally representative data, the consumer expenditure survey of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)-68th round (2011-2012) for food consumption and National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-2016) for weight status, were analysed. Data from both surveys were combined by matching households through common matching variables ('family size', 'religion', etc.) using Nearest-Neighbour Hot-Deck matching. The association of overweight/obesity with predominant mustard oil consumption in the household was examined using logistic regression adjusted for confounders. The NSSO reports household consumption of mustard, groundnut, coconut, refined oils (sunflower, safflower, soyabean) and all other edible oils.

SETTING

Two nationally representative surveys from India.

PARTICIPANTS

Total of 638 445 women and 92 312 men, respectively.

RESULTS

Mustard oil was the most predominantly consumed oil (51 %) followed by refined oils (32·4 %). Prevalence of overweight/obesity in women and men was lower in households with predominant mustard oil consumption (17 and 15 %) v. all other refined and other oils combined (27 and 26 %). The adjusted OR for predominant mustard oil use was 0·88 (95 % CI 0·86, 0·87) for women and 0·80 (95 % CI 0·76, 0·83) for men. A similar analysis with predominant groundnut oil consumption showed no association with overweight/obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

The data from a large national level survey suggest an inverse association between mustard oil consumption and overweight/obesity which needs to be explored with further research studies.

Burden of diabetes and oral cancer in India

Oral cancer and diabetes are highly prevalent among the Indian population and are part of the top four non-communicable diseases responsible for mortality and morbidity. Their numbers are so great that they pose a unique burden to the socioeconomic growth of the country. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of studies examining the role of diabetes in oral cancer reporting co-existence of diabetes and cancer. There is also growing evidence of a higher risk for developing a number of cancers among individuals with diabetes, including pancreatic, liver, gynecologic, colorectal, oral and breast cancer, and consequently 'diabetic oncopathy' is emerging as one of the complications of diabetes. Diabetes may lead to the development of cancer through oxidative damage leading to accumulation of DNA mutations and/or through immune dysfunction, which predisposes to viral infection. Cancer and diabetes may co-occur due to shared risk factors such as increased insulin-like growth factor-1 and obesity, but there is no clear biologic link between the two disorders. This literature review aims to review the evidence showing the current burden of two non-communicable diseases, diabetes and oral cancer and their potential association, with particular reference to India.

Total and Subtypes of Dietary Fat Intake and Its Association with Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in a Mediterranean Population at High Cardiovascular Risk

Background: The effect of dietary fat intake on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and in turn on cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear in individuals at high CVD risk. Objective: To assess the association between fat intake and MetS components in an adult Mediterranean population at high CVD risk. Design: Baseline assessment of nutritional adequacy in participants (n = 6560, men and women, 55-75 years old, with overweight/obesity and MetS) in the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED)-Plus randomized trial. Methods: Assessment of fat intake (total fat, monounsatured fatty acids: MUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids: PUFA, saturated fatty acids: SFA, trans-fatty acids: trans-FA, linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and ω-3 FA) using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and diet quality using 17-item Mediterranean dietary questionnaire and fat quality index (FQI). Results: Participants in the highest quintile of total dietary fat intake showed lower intake of energy, carbohydrates, protein and fiber, but higher intake of PUFA, MUFA, SFA, TFA, LA, ALA and ω-3 FA. Differences in MetS components were found according to fat intake. Odds (5th vs. 1st quintile): hyperglycemia: 1.3-1.6 times higher for total fat, MUFA, SFA and ω-3 FA intake; low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c): 1.2 higher for LA; hypertriglyceridemia: 0.7 lower for SFA and ω-3 FA intake. Conclusions: Dietary fats played different role on MetS components of high CVD risk patients. Dietary fat intake was associated with higher risk of hyperglycemia.

The Association between Dietary Fat Pattern and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Despite several studies examining single dietary fats on type 2 diabetes (T2D) incidence, little is known about the effects of multiple fatty acids on the risk of T2D. We aimed to address this question in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) population. Dietary intakes of participants without T2D (n=2,139) were assessed using the validated food frequency questionnaire. To assess the risk of T2D after 6 years of follow-up, we used multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models. Three major dietary fat patterns were: (1) high amounts of dietary cholesterol, saturated fats, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and trans fats; (2) high amounts of long-chain polyunsaturated fats; and (3) high amounts of dietary cholesterol and saturated fats. Dietary total fat intake hazard ratio [HR=1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.77~2.23 and HR=0.69, 95% CI=0.27~1.76, in the second and third tertile, respectively] was not related to the development of T2D. Animal- and plant-based dietary fat intakes were additionally not related to the risk of T2D. After adjustment for confounding variables, there was no significant association between dietary fat pattern score and T2D incidence. Whereas, the third pattern had a borderline negative association with diabetes development (HR=0.56, 95% CI=0.29~1.07). These novel data suggest that dietary fat composition may modify the risk of T2D incidence.

Diets high in vegetables, fruits, cereals, and tubers as a protective factor for metabolic syndrome in bank employees

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing, and its development may be related to westernized diets and working conditions.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of dietary patterns in bank employees with the presence of MetS, considering sociodemographic and behavioral factors as well as laboratory tests.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 515 bankers. Sociodemographic, occupational, behavioral, and food consumption data were collected. Dietary patterns were determined by principal component analysis with orthogonal varimax rotation.

RESULTS

The dietary pattern of vegetables, fruits, cereals, and tubers was correlated with the presence of MetS and with waist circumference measurements and triglyceride levels. Individuals in the third and fifth quintiles of the pattern "vegetables, fruits, cereals, and tubers" presented with 3.28 and 2.24 times less chances of MetS when compared to individuals in the first quintile of this dietary pattern (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.13-0.67, and OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.21-0.92, respectively). Subjects over 45 years of age were almost twice as likely to develop MetS (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.01-3.77).

CONCLUSION

Healthy eating represented by the dietary pattern "vegetables, fruits, cereals, and tubers" was associated with better health among bank employees, especially when evaluating competing metabolic complications such as MetS.

The risk of metabolic syndrome as a result of lifestyle among Ellisras rural young adults

The study aimed to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and lifestyle risk factors among Ellisras adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 624 adults (306 males and 318 females). MetS was defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. The prevalence of MetS was 23.1% (8.6% males and 36.8 % females). Females appeared to have higher mean values for waist circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TCHOL) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), while males had high mean values for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). No significant age and gender differences were observed for dietary intake. Significantly more females (51.9%) presented with increased WC than males (4.6%). Participants who had a high dietary energy intake were significantly less likely to present with larger WC (OR: 0.250 95% CI [0.161; 0.389]), low HDL-C (OR: 0.306 95% CI [0.220; 0.425]) and high LDL-C (OR: 0.583 95% CI [0.418; 0.812]) but more likely to present with elevated FBG (OR: 1.01 95% CI [0.735; 1.386]), high TCHOL (OR: 1.039 95% CI [0.575; 1.337]), high TG (OR: 1.186 95% CI [0.695; 2.023]) and hypertension (OR: 5.205 95% CI [3.156; 8.585]). After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, and alcohol status, high energy intake was more than two times likely to predict MetS in adults with a large WC (OR: 2.766 95% CI [0.863; 3.477] and elevated FBG (OR: 2.227 95% CI [1.051; 3.328]). Therefore, identifying groups that are at an increased risk and those that are in their early stages of MetS will help improve and prevent the increase of the MetS in the future.

Association of Lifestyle Risk Factors with Metabolic Syndrome Components: A Cross-sectional Study in Eastern India

Background

Approximately 20%-25% of the world adult population and nearly 30% of Indians have metabolic syndrome disorder. Our objective was designed to find out the association between important nutrients and potential lifestyle risk factors such as diet, physical inactivity, and smoking and alcohol consumption with the number of metabolic syndrome components.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 205 patients of metabolic syndrome were enrolled for this study. Diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was done on the basis of National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria (NCEP ATP III 2004). Dietary data were collected with the validated food frequency questionnaire and 24 h dietary recall method, and the nutrient intake was calculated with the specially designed software.

Results

Unhealthy dietary habits were seen more among the participants who had more than 3 risk factors. Results showed the odds of taking >5 times junk foods was 3 times higher (odds ratio [OR]: 2.97; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.61-5.47), and sweet dishes was 2.3 times higher (OR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.28-4.24) among the participants who had 4-5 risk factors. However, milk and dairy products > 4 servings/day (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.175-1.67) and pulses and legumes more than 2 servings/day (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.25-1.29) was protective against hypertension. Mean carbohydrate, saturated fat, and sodium intake was significantly higher in the participants who had 4-5 metabolic risk factors compared to 3 risk factors (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

It was concluded that low intake of fruits, vegetables, and higher intake of flesh food and inadequate physical activity significantly associated with the metabolic syndrome risk factors.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adults with liver function injury in rural area of Southwest China: A cross-sectional study

Abnormal liver function (ALF) plays a key role in metabolic syndrome (MetS), but only few data on the relationship between MetS and the risk factors for ALF (e.g., biotoxins) are available. We aimed to provide the prevalence of MetS and its association with the risk factors for ALF in rural area of Southwest China. A cross-sectional study within the hepatocellular carcinoma cohort was conducted, and included 5493 people with age from 30 to 85 years old. MetS was defined according to the Joint Scientific Statement. We observed that the prevalence of MetS was 31.8% (39.0% in women and 19.8% in men). Logistic regression analysis showed that significantly increased risk of MetS was found in those showing ALF (OR = 3.00, 95% CI: 2.43–3.71). Significantly decreased risk of MetS was found in those with higher HBV DNA titers (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.33–0.74), and in those with higher aflatoxin B1 exposure (estimated daily intake, EDI) (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.53–0.67). No significant change was found in those with higher microcystin-LR exposure (EDI). Therefore, the different risk factors for ALF might exert different effects on MetS. However, there should be an interaction effect existing that might decide the severity of MetS.

Analysis using national databases reveals a positive association between dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids with TV watching and diabetes in European females

In recent years, dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have increased in parallel to sedentary behavior and diabetes across the world. To test any putative association between dietary PUFA and sedentary behavior or diabetes in females, we obtained country-specific, cross-sectional data on sedentary activity and diabetes prevalence from European Cardiovascular Statistics 2012. Age and gender-specific, nutritional data from each country were obtained from nutritional surveys as well. Socioeconomic (GDP), physical environment (urbanization index) and climatic confounders were accounted for each country. Upon analysis, we found a strong, positive association between sedentary lifestyle in 11-yr old girls (> = 2 hours of TV/ weekday) and dietary PUFA across 21 European countries. Further, a weak association of dietary PUFA and a strong relationship of per-capita GDP was established with elevated fasting blood glucose [(> = 7.0 mmol/L; or on medication] among 25+ year old adult females across 23 countries in Europe. In summary, we present novel ecological evidence that dietary PUFA is strongly associated with sedentary behavior among pre-teen girls and weakly associated with diabetes among adult women across Europe. In the latter group, per-capita GDP was a significant predictor for diabetes as well. Therefore, we recommend that prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) be implemented to evaluate if ubiquitous presence of dietary PUFA and low socioeconomic status are possible confounders when intervening to treat/prevent sedentary lifestyle or diabetes in female subjects in Western nations.

Description of the healthy eating indices-based diet quality in Turkish adults: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to describe the dietary status of Turkish adults using two different versions of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI).

METHODS

In this cross sectional study, 494 healthy participants (311 females) with randomly selected and living in Ankara were included between September 2013 and March 2014. A questionnaire was completed and anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were performed. The 24-h dietary recall of individuals was collected. Diet quality was measured through HEI-2005 and HEI-2010 scores.

RESULTS

The mean age, body mass index (BMI), HEI-2005 and HEI-2010 scores of individuals were 32.9 ± 10.8 years; 25.0 ± 4.8 kg/m²; 56.1 ± 13.9 and 41.5 ± 13.7 points, respectively. Significant differences were found between mean HEI-2005 and HEI-2010 scores (p < 0.05). The individual's whose diet quality needs to be improved according to mean HEI-2005 score, had poorer diet based on mean HEI-2010 scores. The highest mean HEI-2005 and HEI-2010 scores were stated in female, in subjects had low education levels, aged 51 years or older and in overweight groups (p <0.05). Both versions of healthy eating indices were correlated positively with BMI and age CONCLUSION: Diet qualities of the individuals are associated with age, gender, education and BMI. Although the components and scores in HEI-2010 version were changed from the version of HEI-2005, the changes may encourage healthy choices of some food group. HEI-2010 gives more attention to food quality than HEI-2005. Thus, in the present study it was concluded that HEI-2010 provided more precise results about diet quality.

High fat diet modifies the association of lipoprotein lipase gene polymorphism with high density lipoprotein cholesterol in an Asian Indian population

Background

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in lipoprotein lipase gene (LPL) have been shown to influence metabolism related to lipid phenotypes. Dietary factors have been shown to modify the association between LPL SNPs and lipids; however, to date, there are no studies in South Asians. Hence, we tested for the association of four common LPL SNPs with plasma lipids and examined the interactions between the SNPs and dietary factors on lipids in 1,845 Asian Indians.

Methods

The analysis was performed in 788 Type 2 diabetes cases and 1,057 controls randomly chosen from the cross-sectional Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study. Serum triacylglycerol (TAG), serum total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured using a Hitachi-912 autoanalyzer (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany). Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The SNPs (rs1121923, rs328, rs4922115 and rs285) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme digestion and 20% of samples were sequenced to validate the genotypes obtained. Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows version 22.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL) was used for statistical analysis.

Results

After correction for multiple testing and adjusting for potential confounders, SNPs rs328 and rs285 showed association with HDL-C (P = 0.0004) and serum TAG (P = 1×10⁻⁵), respectively. The interaction between SNP rs1121923 and fat intake (energy %) on HDL-C (P = 0.003) was also significant, where, among those who consumed a high fat diet (28.4 ± 2.5%), the T allele carriers (TT + XT) had significantly higher HDL-C concentrations (P = 0.0002) and 30% reduced risk of low HDL-C levels compared to the CC homozygotes. None of the interactions on other lipid traits were statistically significant.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that individuals carrying T allele of the SNP rs1121923 have increased HDL-C levels when consuming a high fat diet compared to CC homozygotes. Our finding warrants confirmation in prospective studies and randomized controlled trials.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12986-016-0155-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparison of dietary profile of a rural south Indian population with the current dietary recommendations for prevention of non-communicable diseases (CURES 147)

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

Despite the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in rural India, data on the dietary profile of the rural Indian population in relation to the recommendations for prevention of NCDs are scarce. This study was conducted to assess the dietary intake of a rural south Indian population in relation to the current dietary recommendations for the prevention of NCDs.

METHODS

The dietary profiles of 6907 adults aged ≥ 20 yr, from a cluster of 42 villages in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu State in southern India, were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire.

RESULTS

The prevalence of general obesity was 27.4 per cent and that of abdominal obesity, 14.0 per cent among this rural population. The median daily energy intake of the population was 2034 (IQR 543) kcals. More than 3/4 th of the calories (78.1%) were provided by carbohydrates. Refined cereals, mainly polished rice, was the major contributor to total calories. About 45 per cent of the population did not meet WHO recommendation for protein due to low intake of pulses, flesh foods and dairy products and more than half (57.1%) exceeded the limit of salt intake; 99 per cent of the population did not meet WHO recommendations for fruits and vegetables and 100 per cent did not meet the requirement of n-3 poly unsaturated fatty acids.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS

The dietary profile of this rural south Indian population reflected unhealthy choices, with the high consumption of refined cereals in the form of polished white rice and low intake of protective foods like fruits, vegetables, n-3 poly and monounsaturated fatty acids. This could potentially contribute to the increase in prevalence of NCDs like diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases in rural areas and calls for appropriate remedial action.