Indian experience

Numbers of Indians with cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes are skyrocketing, and numbers of overweight or obese people in India are no less alarming. A recently published study set out to identify key food patterns in several Indian regions and determine problematic foods linked to the above conditions. The food patterns were labelled as: fruit – dairy, vegetables – pulses, pulses – rice, fruit – vegetables, sweets – snacks, snacks – meat. Not surprisingly, diets across all regions characterised by dairy, meat, fried snacks, and sweets were associated with fat accumulation around the waist. Conversely, dietary patterns characterised by vegetables and pulses were found to be protective against diabetes and high blood pressure.

_{Daniel C.R. et al., 2011. A cross-sectional investigation of regional patterns of diet and cardio-metabolic risk in India. Nutrition Journal. 10: 12.}