Reduced rank regression dietary patterns and dyslipidemia in Brazilian adolescents: results from the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (ERICA)

Evidence on the harmful effects of diet on serum lipids in adolescence has not been consistent. The present study sought to establish which dietary patterns are associated with biomarkers of dyslipidemia.

Data from 36,217 Brazilian adolescents participating in the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents were evaluated. Dietary patterns were identified using the reduced rank regression analysis. Linear regression models were applied to verify the association between dietary pattern scores and the biomarkers of dyslipidemia.

The two first dietary patterns identified by reduced rank regression (RRR-DP1 and RRR-DP2) were kept for further analysis. The RRR-DP1 was highly and positively loaded for sweets and red meat and negatively loaded for beans, fruits, vegetables, and rice. The RRR-DP2 was positively loaded for beans and rice and negatively loaded for sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, and sweets. Linear regression models estimated that one standard deviation (SD) increase in the RRR-DP1 score was only associated with a mean increase of 0.29 mg/dL in HDL-cholesterol (95% CI 0.06;0.53), while one SD increase in the RRR-DP2 score was associated with the lower mean of triglycerides (β = −2.24, 95% CI −3.57;−0.91), LDL-c (β = −0.82 95% CI −1.53;−0.12), and total cholesterol (β = −1.30 95% CI −1.94;−0.65).

Higher adherence to the dietary patterns positively loaded for red meat and sweets was associated with increased HDL-c levels, while adherence to a more Brazilian traditional dietary pattern (RRR-DP2) was associated with a better lipids profile.