The Association of Dietary Pattern with the Risk of Common Chronic Diseases in Shandong Province, China: A Cross-sectional Study

Xi Wu¹Jianwei Liu²Xinyue Li³Wanxin Zhang⁴Yong Yang¹Jiazi Ma¹Mao Cao¹Mengjie Cheng¹Guangjian Wu²Haidi Xiu¹Zhongjun Du^1*

• ¹Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ji’nan, China
• ²Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ji’nan, China
• ³School of Public Health Jilin University, Changchun, China
• ⁴College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji’nan, China

Background: Chronic diseases have emerged as a significant public health challenge, impacting the well-being of the Chinese populace, despite scant research exploring the influence of dietary factors on these conditions. This article aimed to investigate the dietary patterns of adult residents in Shandong Province, China, and explore the relationship between these dietary patterns and common chronic diseases. Methods: We used data from the Total Diet Study of the Population of Shandong Province in China between 2015 and 2016. After further screening, a total of 2,828 adult residents with complete dietary and chronic disease prevalence information were included in this study. Food frequency questionnaires were used to ascertain dietary consumption. Dietary patterns were derived through factor analysis. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to assess the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of common chronic diseases, while adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Three dietary patterns were identified: dietary pattern 1 (characterized by high intake of grains, tubers, vegetables, fruits, eggs, meat, nuts, and legumes); dietary pattern 2 (with high consumption of edible fungi, algae, legumes, snacks, aquatic products, and vegetables, but low in eggs); and dietary pattern 3 (high in dairy, beverages, and snacks). Notably, dietary pattern 2 was associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease, even after adjusting for potential confounders (odds ratio [OR] = 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08-0.79, P < 0.05)). This pattern, which includes high consumption of certain food groups and lower intake of eggs, aligns with findings from studies indicating that poor dietary habits can contribute to the development of coronary heart disease. A higher incidence of dyslipidemia was significantly correlated with dietary pattern 3 (OR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.13-4.78, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that adherence to specific dietary patterns can influence the risk of dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease. Higher adherence to dietary pattern 3 was linked to a higher risk of dyslipidemia, while dietary pattern 2 helped reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.