Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The association of plant-based dietary pattern with general and abdominal obesity: a large cross-sectional study

  • Research article
  • Published:
Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Only a few studies have studied the association between plant-based dietary index (PDI) and the prevalence of obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between PDI and the prevalence of general and abdominal obesity in a large sample of Iranian adults.

Methods

The current cross-sectional study was performed from 2010 to 2012 in Isfahan, Iran. This study comprised 6,724 adults between the ages of 18 and 55. We analyzed data from 6,724 participants who were classified as having general obesity and 5,203 individuals who were classified as having abdominal obesity. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. We determined the PDI by assigning plant foods positive scores and animal foods negative values using the method of Satija et al. General obesity was defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2, whereas abdominal obesity was classified as having a waist circumference (WC) greater than 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men. Data was examined using Chi-squared test and the analysis of variance (ANOVA and ANCOVA). Multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between PDI and risk of general as well as abdominal obesity.

Results

The mean age of the study participants was 36.8 ± 8.08 years, and 57% of them were female. General obesity prevalence was 9.6%, while abdominal obesity was 26.8%. In all the unadjusted and multivariable adjusted models of the total population, there was no significant association between highest vs. lowest adherence to the PDI and general obesity or abdominal obesity. No significant association was found when men and women were analyzed separately as well.

Conclusion

In the present study, no association was observed between PDI and general and abdominal obesity in the Iranian adult population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ofei F. Obesity - a preventable disease. Ghana Med J. 2005;39(3):98–101.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Organization WH. Obesity and overweight Fact sheet, October 2017. 2017.

  3. Rahmani A, Sayehmiri K, Asadollahi K, Sarokhani D, Islami F, Sarokhani M. Investigation of the prevalence of obesity in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis study. Acta Medica Iranica. 2015:596–607.

  4. Jafari-Adli S, Jouyandeh Z, Qorbani M, Soroush A, Larijani B, Hasani-Ranjbar S. Prevalence of obesity and overweight in adults and children in Iran; a systematic review. J Diabetes Metabolic Disorders. 2014;13(1):1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Wilding JPH, Jacob S. Cardiovascular outcome trials in obesity: a review. Obes reviews: official J Int Association Study Obes. 2021;22(1):e13112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Vazquez G, Duval S, Jacobs DR Jr, Silventoinen K. Comparison of body mass index, waist circumference, and waist/hip ratio in predicting incident diabetes: a meta-analysis. Epidemiol Rev. 2007;29:115–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Global B. Mortality collaboration body-mass index and all-cause mortality: individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 239 prospective studies in four continents. Lancet. 2016;388(10046):776–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Thielecke F, Jonnalagadda SS. Can whole grain help in weight management? J Clin Gastroenterol. 2014;48:70-S7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Behl S, Misra A. Management of obesity in adult asian Indians. Indian Heart J. 2017;69(4):539–44.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Medina-Remón A, Kirwan R, Lamuela-Raventós RM, Estruch R. Dietary patterns and the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and neurodegenerative diseases. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2018;58(2):262–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Li D. Effect of the vegetarian diet on non-communicable diseases. J Sci Food Agric. 2014;94(2):169–73.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Satija A, Hu FB. Plant-based diets and cardiovascular health. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2018;28(7):437–41.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Rigi S, Mousavi SM, Benisi-Kohansal S, Azadbakht L, Esmaillzadeh A. The association between plant-based dietary patterns and risk of breast cancer: a case–control study. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):3391.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Qian F, Liu G, Hu FB, Bhupathiraju SN, Sun Q. Association between plant-based dietary patterns and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(10):1335–44.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Wright N, Wilson L, Smith M, Duncan B, McHugh P. The BROAD study: a randomised controlled trial using a whole food plant-based diet in the community for obesity, ischaemic heart disease or diabetes. Nutr diabetes. 2017;7(3):e256-e.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Pischke CR, Weidner G, Elliott-Eller M, Scherwitz L, Merritt-Worden TA, Marlin R, et al. Comparison of coronary risk factors and quality of life in coronary artery disease patients with versus without diabetes mellitus. Am J Cardiol. 2006;97(9):1267–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Singh PN, Jaceldo-Siegl K, Shih W, Collado N, Le LT, Silguero K, et al. Plant-based diets are Associated with lower adiposity levels among Hispanic/Latino adults in the Adventist Multi-Ethnic Nutrition (AMEN) Study. Front Nutr. 2019;6:34.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Zamani B, Daneshzad E, Siassi F, Guilani B, Bellissimo N, Azadbakht L. Association of plant-based dietary patterns with psychological profile and obesity in iranian women. Clin Nutr. 2020;39(6):1799–808.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Adibi P, Keshteli AH, Esmaillzadeh A, Afshar H, Roohafza H, Bagherian-Sararoudi R, et al. The study on the epidemiology of psychological, alimentary health and nutrition (SEPAHAN): overview of methodology. J Res Med Sci. 2012;17(5):292-8.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Willett W. Nutritional epidemiology. Oxford university press; 2012.

  21. Keshteli A, Esmaillzadeh A, Rajaie S, Askari G, Feinle-Bisset C, Adibi P. A dish-based semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for Assessment of Dietary Intakes in epidemiologic studies in Iran: design and development. Int J Prev Med. 2014;5(1):29–36.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Ghaffarpour M, Houshiar-Rad A, Kianfar H. The manual for household measures, cooking yields factors and edible portion of foods. Tehran: Nashre Olume Keshavarzy. 1999;7(213):42–58.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Haytowitz D, Lemar L, Pehrsson P, Exler J, Patterson K, Thomas R, et al. USDA national nutrient database for standard reference, release 24. Washington, DC, USA: US Department of Agriculture; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Satija A, Bhupathiraju SN, Rimm EB, Spiegelman D, Chiuve SE, Borgi L, et al. Plant-based dietary patterns and incidence of type 2 diabetes in US men and women: results from three prospective cohort studies. PLoS Med. 2016;13(6):e1002039.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). Expert Panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) final report. Circulation. 2002;106(25):3143–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Aminianfar A, Saneei P, Nouri M, Shafiei R, Hassanzadeh-Keshteli A, Esmaillzadeh A, et al. Validity of self-reported height, weight, body mass index and waist circumference in iranian adults. International journal of preventive medicine. 2019.

  27. The general practice physical activity questionnaire. Department of Health. 2009(Department of Health).

  28. Bartrina JA. Public health and the prevention of obesity: failure or success? Nutrición hospitalaria. 2013;28(5):128–37.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mazidi M, Kengne AP. Higher adherence to plant-based diets are associated with lower likelihood of fatty liver. Clin Nutr. 2019;38(4):1672–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Zamani B, Milajerdi A, Tehrani H, Bellissimo N, Brett NR, Azadbakht L. Association of a plant-based dietary pattern in relation to gestational diabetes mellitus. Nutr Dietetics. 2019;76(5):589–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Kim H, Lee K, Rebholz CM, Kim J. Association between unhealthy plant-based diets and the metabolic syndrome in adult men and women: a population-based study in South Korea. Br J Nutr. 2021;125(5):577–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Lee HY, Woo J, Chen ZY, Leung SF, Peng XH. Serum fatty acid, lipid profile and dietary intake of Hong Kong Chinese omnivores and vegetarians. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000;54(10):768–73.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Alvarez León E, Henríquez P, Serra-Majem L. Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study in the Canary Islands. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9(8a):1089–98.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Satija A, Malik V, Rimm EB, Sacks F, Willett W, Hu FB. Changes in intake of plant-based diets and weight change: results from 3 prospective cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(3):574–82.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Sanghvi R, Gordon A. The plant-based-diet and obesity: The process and literature survey. 2021.

  36. Magkos F, Tetens I, Bügel SG, Felby C, Schacht SR, Hill JO, et al. A perspective on the transition to plant-based diets: a diet change may attenuate climate change, but can it also attenuate obesity and chronic disease risk? Adv Nutr. 2020;11(1):1–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Ludwig DS. Dietary glycemic index and obesity. J Nutr. 2000;130(2):280S-3S.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Salari-Moghaddam A, Keshteli AH, Haghighatdoost F, Esmaillzadeh A, Adibi P. Dietary glycemic index and glycemic load in relation to general obesity and central adiposity among adults. Clin Nutr. 2019;38(6):2936–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Esmaillzadeh A, Mirmiran P, Azizi F. Whole-grain consumption and the metabolic syndrome: a favorable association in tehranian adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005;59(3):353–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all participants of SEPAHAN project and would like to acknowledge cooperation of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in supporting the study.

Funding

There was no funding received for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Farzaneh Asoudeh

  2. Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Shirin Hasani-Ranjbar, Bagher Larijani & Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

  3. Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Ammar Hassanzadeh Keshteli

  4. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 14155-6117, Tehran, Iran

    Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

  5. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

  6. Isfahan Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Peyman Adibi

Authors
  1. Farzaneh Asoudeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seyed Mohammad Mousavi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ammar Hassanzadeh Keshteli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shirin Hasani-Ranjbar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bagher Larijani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ahmad Esmaillzadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Peyman Adibi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Study conception and design: FA, SMM, SHR, PA and AE; acquisition of data: AHK, SHR, BL, PA; statistical analysis and data interpretation: FA, SMM, AHK, SHR, BL, AE preparation of the manuscript: FA, SMM, AHK, BL, AE and PA.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmad Esmaillzadeh.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

All authors declared no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was accepted by the Bioethics Committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran (Ethics approval number: #189069, #189082, and#189086).

Informed consent

We obtained written informed consent from all participants.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Asoudeh, F., Mousavi, S.M., Keshteli, A.H. et al. The association of plant-based dietary pattern with general and abdominal obesity: a large cross-sectional study. J Diabetes Metab Disord 22, 469–477 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-022-01166-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-022-01166-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation