Metabolic syndrome and its relation to dietary patterns among a selected urbanised and semi-urbanised Tibetan population in transition from nomadic to settled living environment.

objectiveTo explore the scope of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its relationship to the major dietary patterns among an urbanised and semi-urbanised Tibetan population in transition from nomadic to settled settings.

designCross-sectional.

settingCommunity-based.

participantsUrbanised and semi-urbanised Tibetan adults (n 920, aged 18-90 years), who have moved from nomadic to settled living environments, answered questionnaires on food consumption frequency and lifestyle characteristics through structured face-to-face interviews and completed anthropometric measurement and metabolic biomarker tests.

resultsMetS prevalence was 30·1 % in males and 32·1 % in females. Low HDL-cholesterol and central obesity were the leading metabolic abnormalities (86·3 and 55·8 %, respectively). Three major dietary patterns - urban, western and pastoral - were identified. Beef/mutton was an important food group for all three identified dietary patterns. In addition, the urban dietary pattern was characterised by frequent consumption of vegetables, tubers/roots and refined carbohydrates; the western pattern was characterised by sweetened drinks, snacks and desserts; and the pastoral pattern featured tsamba (roasted Tibetan barley), Tibetan cheese, butter tea/milk tea and whole-fat dairy foods. Individuals in the highest quintile of urban dietary pattern scores were found to be at a higher risk of developing MetS (OR 2·43, 95 % CI 1·41, 4·18) and central obesity (OR 1·91, 95 % CI 1·16, 3·14) after controlling for potential confounders.

conclusionsMetS was common among urbanised and semi-urbanised Tibetan adult population in transition. The urban dietary pattern, in particular, was a risk factor for MetS. To prevent MetS, nutrition interventions need to be tailored to address the variety of local diet patterns to promote healthy eating.