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Dietary patterns and risk for diabetes: the multiethnic cohort
Eva Erber1, Beth N Hopping, Andrew Grandinetti
1Cancer Research Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Diabetes Care
|December 17, 2009
Summary
A diet high in fat and meat increases diabetes risk across ethnicities. Vegetable intake may lower risk in men, while fruit and milk benefit women, independent of BMI.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Epidemiology
- Chronic Disease Research
Background:
- High diabetes incidence in Japanese Americans and Native Hawaiians is not explained by Body Mass Index (BMI).
- Dietary patterns are potential contributors to diabetes risk, particularly in multiethnic populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of specific dietary patterns (fat and meat, vegetables, fruit and milk) on diabetes risk.
- To assess if these dietary influences vary by ethnicity and sex, independent of BMI.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study within the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) in Hawaii.
- Analysis of dietary patterns from food frequency questionnaires in 29,759 Caucasians, 35,244 Japanese Americans, and 10,509 Native Hawaiians.
- Incident diabetes cases (n=8,587) identified over 14 years; Cox regression used for risk assessment, adjusting for multiple confounders.
Main Results:
- A "fat and meat" dietary pattern significantly increased diabetes risk in both men and women across ethnic groups.
- Vegetable consumption was associated with reduced diabetes risk in men but not women.
- Fruit and milk consumption showed a trend towards reduced diabetes risk in women, more so than in men.
- The association of "fat and meat" with diabetes risk persisted, particularly among overweight individuals.
Conclusions:
- Dietary patterns, especially high intake of fat and meat, are significant predictors of diabetes risk across diverse ethnicities.
- The protective effects of vegetables and the benefits of fruit and milk on diabetes risk appear to be sex- and ethnicity-dependent.
- These findings highlight the importance of tailored dietary recommendations for diabetes prevention.
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