ABSTRACT
Dietary habits play an important role in the prevention of chronic disease; however, few studies have assessed the major dietary patterns in Middle Eastern countries. This study identifies major dietary patterns among Iranian people with abnormal glucose homeostasis. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Diabetes Research Center, Isfahan, Iran among 425 subjects with abnormal glucose homeostasis. Patients were of ages 35 - 55 years and had family histories of diabetes. We assessed dietary intake by the use of a food frequency questionnaire [FFQ] that contained 39 food items. General obesity was defined as a BMI > 30 kg/m[2] and central obesity was defined as waist circumference [WC] > 88 in women and WC > 102 in men. Five major dietary patterns were revealed by factor analysis: 'western', 'healthy', Vegetarian', 'high-fat dairy', and 'chicken and plants'. Those in the top tertile of the 'western pattern' had greater odds for general [OR = 1.73; 95% Cl = 1.07 - 2.78] and central obesity [OR = 2, 95% Cl = 1.24 - 3.22], however these associations were not significant after adjustment for confounding variables. The 'high-fat dairy pattern' was associated with greater odds of general obesity only after adjusting for confounding variables [OR = 1.73; 95%CI = 1.01 -2.96]. The dietary pattern characterized by high intake of hydrogenated fat and sugar was shown to be positively associated with a risk of general and central obesity, however further prospective studies are required to confirm our findings