The association of prediabetes with dietary patterns, life behavior and cardiovascular risk factors among adult population without previously diagnosed non-communicable diseases

Abstract

Background and aimsPrediabetes and its risk factors are difficult to recognize because there may be no clear symptoms in that stage of diabetes mellitus (DM) progression. This cross-sectional study aims to examine associations between prediabetes and potential risk factors among adult population without previously diagnosed non-communicable diseases. Methods and resultsStudy participants (n = 30823) were selected all over China. Their dietary, life behavior and laboratory data were obtained through questionnaires, physical examination or biochemical measurement. Factor analysis was applied to identify dietary patterns. Non-proportional odds model was applied to analyze associations between those data and stages of DM progression. The prevalence of prediabetes and DM was 20.6% and 4.5%, respectively. Two dietary patterns were identified: the first pattern was characterized by high consumption of diverse plant- and animal-based food items, and the second pattern was characterized by high consumption of starchy food items. The risk of prediabetes was inversely associated with sufficient sleep duration (OR: 0.939, 95% CI: 0.888–0.993) and the second pattern (OR: 0.882, 95% CI: 0.850–0.914), but not significantly associated with the first pattern (OR: 1.030, 95% CI: 0.995–1.067). High density lipoprotein cholesterol was inversely associated with DM risk (OR: 0.811, 95% CI: 0.667–0.986) but not prediabetes (OR: 1.035, 95% CI: 0.942–1.137). ConclusionsThe prevalence of undetected prediabetes was high among adult population, and some factors may exert different effects on different stages of DM progression. Dietary diversity, which was reflected by the first pattern to a certain extent, may be not significantly associated with risk of prediabetes.