A newly released study in The Journal of Nutrition concluded that dietary acculturation may play a stronger role in some heritage groups compared with others and that adherence to cultural dietary patterns may be impacted by the number of years lived in the United States.

The term “Hispanic/Latino” encompasses more than 20 nationalities with substantial social, cultural, behavioral, geographic, and genetic heterogeneity. Although diet is strongly linked to health, the prevalence of certain diseases varies across US Hispanics/Latinos. For instance, Hispanics/Latinos of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage have the highest diabetes prevalence whereas those of South American heritage have the lowest. Identifying effective strategies against diet-related chronic diseases that are tailored to different groups in this diverse US population is therefore warranted.  However, no study has taken a data-driven approach using foods specific to the population under study to empirically derive dietary patterns.  This study, led by Sandra Albrecht (Columbia University) and Luis Maldonado (UNC-Chapel Hill), fills an important gap by comparing heritage-specific diets across 6 large Hispanic/Latino heritage groups and by examining differences in dietary pattern scores by years living in the United States in each heritage group.

This study used data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, the largest population-based cohort of Hispanics/Latinos of diverse origin 18-74 years of age.  Dietary patterns were derived from two 24-hour dietary recalls, which resulted in 5 overarching dietary patterns – Burgers, Fries, & Soft Drinks; White Rice, Beans, & Red Meats; Fish; Egg & Cheese; and Alcohol. Heritage-specific dietary patterns were compared to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 to assess healthfulness. 

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The researchers found that for all heritage groups, Burgers, Fries, & Soft Drinks dietary patterns were associated with worse healthfulness, whereas all Fish Dietary patterns, except those for Dominican heritage, were associated with greater healthfulness. Moreover, the White Rice, Beans, & Red Meats dietary pattern was less healthy in Cuban and Central American groups but healthier in Mexican-origin individuals. Fewer years living in the United States was associated with higher scores for White Rice, Beans, & Red Meats dietary patterns in Cuban and Mexican heritage groups and lower scores on Burgers, Fries, & Soft Drinks dietary patterns in Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican groups.  In general, greater years living in the United States was associated with less healthy dietary patterns across several heritage groups, which has concerning health implications.

Dietary acculturation is a complex and dynamic process by which immigrants adopt the cultural practices of the host country and shed the cultural dietary choices and behaviors practiced in the country of origin. Over time, dietary acculturation may lead to unhealthier diets, which may increase diet-related chronic disease risk.  However, it is important to recognize that dietary acculturation processes can differ across heritage groups. In a companion editorial, Katherine Tucker (University of Massachusetts) commends the research team for demonstrating the importance of using a data-driven approach to examine dietary patterns. Understanding actual dietary behaviors of population subgroups help clarify the diversity of both dietary behavior and health risk among differing Hispanic/Latino heritage groups.

References

Maldonado LE, Adair LS, Sotres-Alvarez D, Mattei J, Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Perreira KM, Daviglus ML, Van Horn LV, Gallo LC, Isasi CR, Albrecht SS. Dietary patterns and years living in the United States by Hispanic/Latino Heritage in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). J Nutr., Volume 151, Issue 9, September 2021, Pages 2749–2759, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxab165.

Tucker KL. Dietary Patterns in Latinx Groups. J Nutr., Volume 151, Issue 9, September 2021, Pages 2505–2506, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxab225.

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Kathy Beerman, PhD

Dr. Kathy Beerman teaches in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University. The author of several published articles, she is interested in research that focuses on the efficacy of a novel approach to treating iron deficiency anemia in rural regions of Guatemala and Ecuador. Dr. Beerman teaches an undergraduate nutrition course for health majors, as well as a course that prepares students to participate in a 10-day medical mission to Guatemala. Since joining the faculty at Washington State University in 1990, she has been the recipient of several teaching awards (the Burlington Northern Faculty Meritorious Achievement in Teaching Award, the R.M. Wade Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction). More recently, she received the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award in International Activities (2017) and the President’s Award for Leadership (2018). Other scholarly activities include co-author of two introductory nutrition textbooks (Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food and NUTR).