Associations of Diet Patterns and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Factors Among Mexican Women in the Sonora-Arizona Transborder Region

OBJECTIVES: To identify dietary patterns of Mexican women in the Sonora-Arizona transborder region and assess their association with cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS: Mexican-born women aged 25–50 years residing in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico (n = 61) and Phoenix, Arizona, United States (n = 61) self-reported dietary intake via the Southwest Food Frequency Questionnaire capturing the prior year of intake and completed a clinic visit for the assessment of anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, hair cortisol, and fasting blood lipids, glucose, C-reactive protein (hsCRP), insulin, adiponectin, ghrelin, and leptin. Dietary patterns were derived using exploratory factor analysis. Regression scores were used to explore associations between dietary patterns and cardiometabolic risk factors. RESULTS: Eight derived patterns accounted for 67% of the variance in the following descending order: 1) fruits & vegetables, 2) animal protein, 3) snacks & fats, 4) refined carbohydrates & snacks, 5) mixed dishes & red meats, 6) sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) & soups, 7) starchy dishes, and 8) cereals & eggs. The animal protein pattern was associated with ghrelin (r = .244, P = .035.), and inversely associated with diastolic blood pressure (r = −.192, P = .047) and BMI (r = −.220, P = .023). The snacks & fats (r = −.208, P = .035), and sweets, SSBs & soups (r = −.194, P = .049) were inversely associated with total cholesterol. The mixed dishes & red meats pattern was associated with hair cortisol (r = .211, P = .04). The refined carbohydrates & snacks pattern was inversely associated with total cholesterol (r = −.211, P = .032) and adiponectin (r = −.333, P = .024). There were no significant associations between dietary patterns and the rest of the biomarkers assessed. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the main dietary patterns among Mexican women in the Arizona-Sonora border are rich in fruits, vegetables, and protein sources. Despite the positive association with ghrelin, following a pattern rich in animal proteins was associated with lower BMI and blood pressure. In contrast, a diet rich in refined carbohydrates and snacks was associated with lower adiponectin concentrations and could contribute to insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk. FUNDING SOURCES: 1883-FRONTERAS-CONACYT, Mexico, and Program for Transborder Communities, ASU.