Association between glycemic control and dietary patterns in patients with type 2 diabetes in a Mexican institute

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between glycemic control (hemoglobin (Hb) A1c <7%) and the dietary patterns identified in Mexican patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

This was a secondary analysis conducted with 4838 patients with T2DM in Mexico. Biochemical blood profiles, socioeconomic level, anthropometric measurements, and dietary data were obtained. Dietary data from a food frequency questionnaire were used to derive dietary patterns. Factor analysis was conducted to ascertain dietary patterns, and multivariate analysis was fitted to assess the relationship between glycemic control and consumption of dietary patterns.

Three dietary patterns were identified. After control for potential cofounders (age, sex, duration of T2DM, body mass index, pharmacologic treatment, intensity of physical activity, socioeconomic level, and kcal/kg ideal weight), we found that consuming a Western-style diet (odds ratio [OR], 1.533, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.253-1.875; P < 0.000), and the sweets and dairy diet (fats and sugars; OR, 1.444; 95% CI, 1.133-1.841; P = 0.003) patterns were associated with HbA1c ≥7%, whereas consuming a healthy dietary patter (OR, 0.800; 95% CI, 0.642-0.998; P = 0.048) was associated with HbA1c <7%.

Consuming a healthy diet was associated with glycemic control; whereas the Western-style or sweets and dairy patterns promoted a lack of metabolic control. These results support the promotion of a healthy pattern in the Mexican population with T2DM.