A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Food Insecurity and Dyslipidemia

Abstract

There is considerable interest in the association between food insecurity (FIS) and various cardiovascular risk factors such as dyslipidemia. Although the association between FIS and dyslipidemia has been studied across various methodologies and populations, there is no comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of these data.Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted. Cross-sectional peer-review studies assessing the association between FIS and dyslipidemia were identified. Data extracted included population characteristics, study sizes, covariates explored, and laboratory assessments of dyslipidemia. Effect sizes were extracted or calculated, then synthesized across studies using a random effect model, and the heterogeneity, publication bias, and subgroup dependence for each meta-analysis were assessed.Results: For adults, meta-analysis demonstrated no significantly elevated odds for FIS individuals to have a concomitant abnormal lipid measurement. Covariate-unadjusted analysis of standardized mean differences showed no significant differences in lipid measurements between food-insecure and foodsecure individuals. In contrast to quantitative laboratory results, food-insecure patients were more likely to self-report previous diagnoses of dyslipidemia.Conclusions: Although current data do not suggest an association between FIS and dyslipidemia, more longitudinal studies and studies targeting women, children, the elderly, and patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes are needed to further address this issue.

Impact of Health and Social Factors on the Cardiometabolic Risk in People with Food Insecurity: A Systematic Review

“…The relationship between the higher prevalence of FI in single, separated, or widowed people refers mainly to people living alone [ 7 , 8 ]. The eating habits of people who live alone tend to be more flexible and with a greater presence of compensatory behaviors that are not socially accepted, such as skipping meals, substituting them for coffee or cigarettes, or “bingeing” ultra-processed cheap and comfort food with high.…”

“…Food plays a key role in people’s health and quality of life. Inadequate nutritional habits or a deficient diet can lead to metabolic disorders and consequently the development of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

A Scoping Review of Nutritional Biomarkers Associated with Food Security

“…Generally, researchers cited sample size, non-random sampling, non-fasting serum measurements, and unexpectedly high prevalence of dyslipidemias as explanations for this lack of relationship [52,96]. Nevertheless, the predominant lack of association between food insecurity and lipid markers has also been identified elsewhere, as noted in a recent meta-analysis [102]. Similar to the present findings, the authors of the meta-analysis also concluded that current data do not suggest that there are consistent relationships between dyslipidemias and food insecurity status.…”