Our objective was to identify and describe the major dietary patterns in the Mexican adult population and their association with being overweight or obese. Dietary intake was evaluated by a FFQ that was completed by 15,890 Mexican adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006. Dietary patterns were generated by cluster analysis based on the percent contribution to total energy intake from 30 food groups. We identified 3 major dietary patterns: refined foods and sweets (RS), traditional (T), and diverse (D). The T pattern was characterized by low dietary diversity, with maize and maize foods accounting for ~47% of energy intake. This pattern had the lowest contribution of most food groups, with the exception of beans (~4.0%). The RS pattern had the highest contribution of alcohol (9.4%), soft drinks (9.4%), white bread (7.7%), fast food, sweets, and snacks. The D pattern had the lowest contribution of maize (15.5%) and the highest contribution of whole-fat dairy (8.0%), rice and pasta, meat, poultry, eggs, saturated fat, fruits, and vegetables. After adjusting for age, gender, physical activity, socioeconomic status, area, and region, the RS and D dietary patterns were associated with 14 and 17% increased risk of being overweight (P < 0.01) and 20% increased risk of being obese, respectively, compared with the T dietary pattern (P < 0.001). These findings support an association of dietary patterns with being overweight or obese in a nationally representative sample of Mexican adults.

Our study can offer new insights into disease mechanisms and prevention through the analysis of risk factor information in a large sample of Mexicans.

Our objective was to evaluate the relationships between dietary patterns and obesity, abdominal obesity, and high body fat proportion (measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; >25% in men and >35% in women) in an urban Mexican population. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis with the baseline data from 6070 men and women aged 20-70 y participating in the Health Workers Cohort Study, including information on participants' socio-demographic status and physical activity collected via self-administered questionnaires. Dietary intake was evaluated using a 116-item FFQ. Anthropometric measures were obtained using standardized procedures. We used factor analysis to identify 3 major dietary patterns: prudent, Westernized, and high animal protein/fat. We found that participants in the highest quintile of the prudent pattern were less likely to have high-body fat proportion (OR, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.70-0.98) and that participants in the highest quintile of the Westernized pattern had greater odds for obesity (OR, 1.46; 95% CI: 1.23-1.73), abdominal obesity (OR, 1.64; 95% CI: 1.37-1.96), and high-body fat proportion (OR, 1.17; 95% CI: 1.01-1.35). Additionally, participants in the upper quintile of the high-animal protein/-fat pattern had greater odds of being obese (OR, 1.23; 95% CI: 1.06-1.42). These results indicate that the dietary patterns of Mexican adults are associated with different levels of adiposity and obesity. Further prospective studies are required to confirm these associations.

Background: The study of body composition in specific populations by techniques such as bioimpedance analysis (BIA) requires validation based on standard reference methods. The aim of this study was to develop and cross-validate a predictive equation for bioelectrical impedance using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) as standard method to measure body composition in Mexican adult men and women.

Objective. To estimate energy, nutrient intake and diet adequacy in school-aged children based on the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 (ENSANUT 2006). Material and Methods. Food intake data from food frequency questionnaires was analyzed for 8 716 children aged 5 to 11 years. Energy and nutrients intake and adequacy were obtained. Comparisons were made at regional, urban/rural areas, socioeconomic status (SES) and nutrition status (body mass index and height/age). Results. Median energy intake was 1 501 kcal/d (percent adequacy: 88.0). Overweight and obesity prevalence was 25.5%. Stunting prevalence was 10%. Children at lowest SES, indigenous and from rural communities showed the highest inadequacies for vitamin A, folate, zinc, and calcium. Overweight children and those highest SES had higher risk of excessive intakes. Conclusions. Coexistence of over and undernutrition reflects a polarized model of nutrition transition among Mexican children.