Inter-Individual Differences in Dietary Clusters in Candidates for Metabolic-Bariatric Surgery and their Association to Cardiometabolic Health Status.

INTRODUCTION

Candidates for metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) present with heterogeneous nutritional and metabolic profiles. Characterising macro-, micro-nutrient, and other nutritional intake clusters may help describe variation in dietary patterns within this population. This study aimed to: (1) evaluate reported nutrient-level intake clusters in candidates for MBS; and (2) examine the cross-sectional associations between these clusters and cardiometabolic health parameters.

METHODS

All data was collected approximately three months before MBS at a single university affiliated medical centre in Quebec, Canada. Participants completed food diaries using a mobile application. Dietary clusters were generated using average intakes of total energy intake, macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, simple sugars, fatty acids, cholesterol and dietary fibre derived from food diaries collected over two to five days. Participants' cardiometabolic markers included % body fat, waist circumference, body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, Hb-A1c, lipid profile, and CRP levels.

RESULTS

Participants' (N = 64) mean age was 47.8 ± 10.2 years and BMI was 45.0 ± 7.0 kg/m2. Two dietary clusters were observed: Cluster 1; and Cluster 2. There were no significant differences in cardiometabolic measures between clusters.

CONCLUSION

The two clusters identified represented distinct variations of a Western dietary pattern: one characterised by higher sugar and fat intake; and the other by lower fibre and vitamin content. No significant cross-sectional differences in cardiometabolic markers were observed between clusters. These findings describe heterogeneity in reported dietary profiles and concurrent cardiometabolic characteristics among candidates for MBS. Larger studies are needed to further examine dietary clustering in candidates for MBS, though this study is an important first step in the process.

KEY POINTS: • Two diet clusters: Energy-dense, nutrient-rich diet; and Nutrient-poor, low-fibre diet. • No significant differences in cardiometabolic markers observed between clusters. • Highlights dietary heterogeneity in candidates for MBS.