ABSTRACT

Objective

Nutrition can affect visceral adipose tissue, but the effect of dietary diversity on visceral adiposity is unknown. This study aimed to determine the relationship between dietary diversity and visceral adiposity, triglyceride/glucose, lipid accumulation product, and body shape indices in obese adolescents.

Methods

The study included 141 obese adolescents (70 males, 71 females) aged between 12 and 18. Participants' biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements, and blood pressures were measured. Two days of retrospective food intake records were collected from the adolescents, and Dietary Diversity Scores (DDS) were calculated and divided intotertiles.. A DDS score of <4.09 was classified as tertile 1; 4.09-4.96 as tertile 2; and  >4.96 as tertile 3. Visceral adiposity, triglyceride/glucose, lipid accumulation product, and body shape indexes were calculated according to the formulas specified in the literature.

Results

Insulin and Homeostasis Model assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) values were found to be higher in individuals in Tertile 1 compared to those in other tertiles (p<0.001). The triglyceride/glucose index value was found to be lower in individuals in Tertile 3 compared to those in Tertile 1 (p=0.028). In individuals in Tertile 3, fibre (p=0.002), vegetable (p<0.001), and whole grain (p<0.001) intake were higher than in other tertiles, while refined grain (p<0.001) and meat consumption (p=0.013) were lower than in other tertiles. A negative correlation was found between the DDS and fasting blood glucose (rho = -0.177; p = 0.036), insulin (rho = -0.633; p < 0.001), triglycerides (rho = -0.223; p = 0.008), HOMA-IR (rho = -0.656; p < 0.001), visceral adiposity index (rho = -0.228; p = 0.007), triglyceride/glucose index (rho = -0.251; p = 0.003), and lipid accumulation product index (rho = -0.200; p = 0.018). When confounding factors were controlled for, fasting blood glucose emerged as the significant factor affecting DDS

Conclusion

High dietary diversity scores in obese adolescents are associated with low visceral adiposity, triglyceride/glucose, and lipid accumulation product index, indices associated with visceral obesity. As dietary diversity scores increase, fasting blood sugar, insulin, triglyceride, and HOMA-IR levels decrease.