Multidimensional links between dietary behavior and cardiometabolic comorbidities: a network analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutritional Science
• Cardiology

Background:

• Rising burden of cardiometabolic comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, NAFLD) linked to poor diet, especially in working-age adults.
• Need to understand complex interactions between dietary habits and cardiometabolic health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the intricate associations between dietary behaviors and cardiometabolic comorbidities in a working-age population.
• To identify specific dietary patterns contributing to metabolic dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 1,427 corporate employees (aged 18-50) in Shanghai.
• Data collected via questionnaires (demographics, diet) and clinical evaluations (metabolic indicators).
• Network analysis using mixed graphical models to map relationships between factors and comorbidities.

Main Results:

• Nearly half (49.5%) of participants had at least one cardiometabolic comorbidity.
• Network analysis highlighted frequent meat consumption and eating out as central factors.
• Eating before bedtime emerged as a key behavior when modifiable demographics were considered.

Conclusions:

• Specific unhealthy dietary behaviors are strongly associated with early cardiometabolic comorbidity signs in adults.
• Findings support targeting identified behaviors in dietary interventions and public health initiatives for metabolic disease prevention.