Association between dietary patterns and glycemic control in type II diabetes mellitus patients

To assess the association between dietary patterns and glycemic control among patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

A cross-sectional study. SITE: The 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

A total of 1646 T2DM patients were included, of whom 854 were hyperglycemia.

Main dietary patterns were identified using the sparse principal components analysis (SPCA). Logistic regression analysis was applied to investigate the association between each dietary pattern and the risk of hyperglycemia with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). SPCA analysis yielded five significant principal components (PC), which represented five main dietary patterns.

PC1, characterized by a high intake of sweets, red meat and processed meat, was associated with higher odds of hyperglycemia in patients who underwent hyperglycemic drug or insulin treatments (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.10-2.64). PC5, characterized by high in red meat, while low in coffee, sweets, and high-fat dairy consumption. The relationship between the PC5 and hyperglycemia was marginal significance (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.38-1.02). PC2 was characterized by a high consumption of green vegetables, other vegetables, and whole grains, and low intake of potatoes and processed meat. In patients with the hyperglycemic drug and insulin free, higher PC2 levels were related to lower odds of hyperglycemia (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.21-0.96).

High intake of sweets, red meat, and processed meat might be detrimental to glycemic control in patients with drug-treated T2DM. High in red meat, while low in coffee, sweets, and high-fat dairy consumption may be beneficial to glycemic control. In addition, high consumption of green vegetables, other vegetables, and whole grains, and low intake of potatoes and processed meat may be good for glycemic control in patients without drug-treated T2DM.