Extensive research has investigated the impact of individual foods and nutrients on development and progression of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) (1). However, there are only limited data on the influence of overall dietary patterns on CMD within the UK population. This secondary data analysis aimed to empirically identify dietary patterns and explore their association with CMD risk factors in UK adults.
For this secondary data analysis, habitual dietary data was collated from four randomised controlled trials (DIVAS, DIVAS-2, SATgenε, RESET) and one observational study (BODYCON) conducted at the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, University of Reading. This dietary data was categorised into 38 food groups before performing principal component analysis to identify specific dietary patterns. After stratifying the principal components into increasing quartiles (Q) and determining the eNutri-DQS (a measure of diet quality), ANCOVA was performed to assess variations in estimated marginal means of CMD risk factors and eNutri-DQS between quartiles of dietary pattern adherence.
The dataset included 646 individuals, 58% female with a mean ±SD age of 44±14 years, and Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25.2 kg/m2 (SD 4.0). Two main dietary patterns (DP) were identified which explained 11.7% of the total variance of food intake. Higher adherence to DP1 (Q4), characterized by diets rich in fermented dairy, fruits, wholegrains, vegetables and lower in red/processed meat products, was associated with lower triacylglycerol, insulin, insulin resistance, BMI, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations compared with the lowest quartile of adherence (Q1) (P<0.01). DP2, characterized by high consumption of sugars, refined grains with lower intakes of vegetables, nuts and whole grains, was associated with lower HDL-C concentrations compared to those with lower adherence (P=0.006). There was no statistically significant relationship across quartiles of adherence to DP1 and DP2 with overall diet quality measured by eNutri-DQS.
This analysis has revealed two main dietary patterns in disease-free UK adults. Greater adherence to a diet higher in fermented dairy, fruits and vegetables and lower in red and processed meat was associated with favourable associations with CMD risk markers.

OC124 - Association between empirically driven dietary patterns and cardiometabolic disease risk factors: A cross-sectional analysis in UK adults.

Unique to the new Congress (previously the Summer Conference) is that you will have greater opportunity to engage with more nutrition science than ever before. In 2024 the core programme will be delivered by the Irish Section of The Nutrition Society, supported by the Science Committee. The theme of these symposia will be ‘new data – focused approaches and challenges’. Outside of the core programme you will have the chance to hear the latest research from the Society’s partner organisations, universities, the private sector and more, on a diverse range of research.