Dietary Patterns with Healthy and Unhealthy Traits Among Overweight/Obese Hispanic Women with or at High Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Hispanic women are at high risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D), with obesity and unhealthy eating being important contributing factors. A cross-sectional design was used in this study to identify dietary patterns and their associations with diabetes risk factors. Participants completed a culturally adapted Food Frequency Questionnaire capturing intake over the prior 3 months. Overweight/obese Hispanic women ( n = 191) with or at risk for T2D were recruited from a community clinic into a weight loss intervention. Only baseline data was used for this analysis. Dietary patterns and their association with diabetes risk factors (age, body mass index, abdominal obesity, elevated fasting blood glucose [FBG], and hemoglobin A1c). An exploratory factor analysis of dietary data adjusted for energy intake was used to identify eating patterns, and Pearson correlation coefficient ( r ) to assess the association of the eating patterns with the diabetes risk factors. Six meaningful patterns with healthful and unhealthful traits emerged: (1) sugar and fat-laden, (2) plant foods and fish, (3) soups and starchy dishes, (4) meats and snacks, (5) beans and grains, and (6) eggs and dairy. Scores for the “sugar and fat-laden” and “meats and snacks” patterns were negatively associated with age ( r = − 0.230, p = 0.001 and r = − 0.298, p < 0.001, respectively). Scores for “plant foods and fish” were positively associated with FBG ( r = 0.152, p = 0.037). Being younger may be an important risk factor for a diet rich in sugar and fat; this highlights the need to assess dietary patterns among younger Hispanic women to identify traits potentially detrimental for their health.