Iranian researchers summarized available data regarding the association of a posteriori dietary patterns and central obesity in adults to determine whether a prudent dietary pattern is linked to a reduced risk of central obesity. This systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Nutrition Research.

• Abdominal obesity, also known as central obesity, is a major component of metabolic syndrome.
• For this meta-analysis, the researchers pored over related studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases up to December 2015 and identified 13 studies: 12 cross-sectional studies and one case-control study that reported odds ratios (ORs), relative risks, or hazard ratios for risk of central obesity.
• The researchers assessed between-study variance using Cochran Q test and I2. Using subgroup analysis, they determined possible sources of heterogeneity.
• The researchers found that the highest category of healthy dietary patterns resulted in a significant decrease in the risk of central obesity, with an OR of 0.81 (95 percent confidence interval 0.66–0.96).
• Conversely, their findings showed a higher non-significant increase in the risk of central obesity in the highest category of Western dietary pattern, with an OR of 1.16 (95 percent confidence interval 0.96–1.35).
• The findings also revealed that sex, country, and continent were potential sources of heterogeneity.

The results of the meta-analysis showed that a posteriori healthy/prudent dietary patterns may reduce the risk of central obesity, whereas there was no significant link found between unhealthy/Western dietary patterns and central obesity.

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Journal Reference:

Rezagholizadeh F, Djafarian K, Khosravi S, Shab-Bidar S. A POSTERIORI HEALTHY DIETARY PATTERNS MAY DECREASE THE RISK OF CENTRAL OBESITY: FINDINGS FROM A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. Nutrition Research. 2017;41:1–13. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2017.01.006