Association between Meal Frequency and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Adults: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Diet frequency may potentially influence metabolic health. However, general population-based evidence on the association between meal frequency and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains limited and inconclusive. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association between meal frequency and T2DM in resource limited area. A total of 29,405 qualified participants were enrolled from the Henan rural cohort study. Data on meal frequency were collected through a validated face-to-face questionnaire survey. Logistic regression models were utilized to explore the association between meal frequency and T2DM. Compared with 21 times per week meal frequency group, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were 0.75 (0.58, 0.95) and 0.70 (0.54, 0.90) for 16–20 times/week group and 14–15 times/week group, respectively. For the analysis of the three meals, significant associations were only found between dinner frequency and T2DM. Compared with seven times per week dinner group, the ORs (95%CIs) were 0.66 (0.42, 0.99) and 0.51 (0.29, 0.82) for the group with three to six times/week and zero to two times/week. Reduced meal frequency, especially dinner frequency, was associated with lower prevalence of T2DM, which suggests that an appropriate reduction in meal frequency per week may have a role in decreasing the risk of T2DM.

Impacts of Ketogenic and Mediterranean Diets on Obesity-Induced Type 2 Diabetes

“…The Mediterranean diet (MD) is characterized by a low intake of red meat and a high intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and fish. It also includes moderate amounts of low-fat dairy products and alcohol [4]. Our current research shows that MD plays an important role in improving human health conditions, including cardiovascular risk factors, neurodegenerative diseases, etc.…”

“…The precise mechanism underlying the therapeutic benefits of MD in T2DM remains incompletely elucidated. Potential mechanisms encompass lipid-lowering effects, mitigation of inflammation and oxidative stress, modulation of nutrient sensing pathways through selective amino acid restriction, as well as generation of gut microbiota-derived metabolites that impact metabolic health [4]. Further quantitative evaluation of inflammatory markers (examples include hsCRP (high-sensitivity Creactive protein), IL-6 (interleukin), MHR (monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio), MLR (monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio), TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor alpha) and WBC (white blood cell) [13,14]) and oxidative stress can be conducted to verify the mechanism of MD's effect on T2DM.…”