Association between bone mineral content and dietary patterns among Brazilian adults from Viçosa, Minas Gerais: a population-based study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective The aim of the study was to investigate if there is an association between dietary patterns and bone mineral content among Brazilian adults. Methods This is a cross-sectional, population-based study. Bone health was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The dietary pattern was obtained using a food frequency questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis obtained the dietary patterns. Linear regression was used for the multivariate analysis. The research was conducted with adult individuals (20-59 years old) of both sexes residing in the city of Viçosa, MG, Brazil (n=572). Results Two distinct dietary patterns were identified: a “meats and alcoholic drinks” pattern, composed of condiments, alcoholic drinks, dough-based foods, and savory snacks; and a “local traditional” pattern, composed of eggs, beans, trooper’s beans, margarine, butter, olive oil, coffee and tea, cereals, and tubers (factor loadings ≥0.20). Having verified the associations considering the confounding factors, we identified that the bone mineral content for males was positively associated with the “local traditional” dietary pattern (β=0.058; 95% CI: 0.003–0.112; p=0.036), and for females an inverse association with the “meats and alcoholic drinks” pattern was found (β=-0.057; 95% CI: -0.110 -0.003; p=0.037). Conclusion We identified a positive association between the local traditional dietary pattern and bone health.