Association between Diet Quality and Eating Behavior in Type 2 Diabetes Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: Nutrients 2024-07, Vol.16 (13), p.2047
• Main Authors: Gal, Ana Maria, Arhire, Lidia Iuliana, Gherasim, Andreea, Graur, Mariana, Nita, Otilia, Dumitrascu, Oana, Soimaru, Raluca Meda, Popa, Alina Delia, Mihalache, Laura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Blood pressure; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular disease; Cholesterol; Chronic illnesses; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; DEBQ; Demographic aspects; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - psychology; Diet; Diet therapy; Diet, Healthy; dietary behavior; DQI-I; Eating behavior; emotional eating; Emotions; external eating; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food; Food habits; Glucose; Glycated Hemoglobin - analysis; Glycated Hemoglobin - metabolism; Health aspects; Health care; High density lipoprotein; Humans; Lifestyles; Male; Metabolic disorders; Middle Aged; Mortality; Nutrition research; Obesity; Questionnaires; restrained eating; Surveys and Questionnaires; Type 2 diabetes; Weight control
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16132047

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has become a global epidemic. To effectively control T2DM, individuals must adhere to a high-quality diet that encompasses not only healthy dietary patterns but also promotes positive eating behaviors. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 314 patients with T2DM, and we evaluated the diet quality and also examined the associations between eating behavior, diet quality, and anthropometric and clinical factors in T2DM patients. We used the Diet Quality Index-International and Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire to assess dietary characteristics. We found that women had a significantly higher diet quality than men (61.40 vs. 58.68, = 0.002) but were also more prone to emotional eating (2.00 vs. 1.53, < 0.001) and restrained eating (2.39 vs. 2.05, = 0.002). Restrained eating correlated with duration of diabetes (r = -0.169, = 0.003), body mass index (r = 0.182, = 0.001), and external eating with glycated hemoglobin (r = 0.114, = 0.044). Patients with emotional eating had a higher vitamin C adequacy score (β = 0.117, = 0.045). External eating was positively associated with grain adequacy (β = 0.208, < 0.001) and negatively associated with empty-calorie food moderation score (β = -0.125, = 0.032). For restrained eating, we found associations with vitamin C adequacy (β = -0.138, = 0.017) and fruit adequacy (β = 0.125, = 0.033). In conclusion, the results of this study provide valuable insight into dietary behavior and emphasize the importance of promoting healthy eating habits for T2DM patients.