Key result
High joint intake of Tsampa, butter tea, and Qing cha was associated with a 41% lower odds of metabolic syndrome compared to never or rare intake (OR 0.59).
Why the study?
The association between habitual food intake in Tibet and metabolic syndrome was largely unclear.
Does the intake of Tibetan habitual foods reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Tibetan adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=5,014)
No
Does the intake of Tibetan habitual foods reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Tibetan adults?
Odds Ratio: 0.59 (95% CI 0.42–0.83)
p-value: p=0.022
Habitual consumption of traditional Tibetan foods such as Tsampa, butter tea, and Qing cha is associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome, suggesting potential dietary strategies for metabolic disease prevention in this population.
Tsampa intake may support metabolic health strategies in Tibetans; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective trials before practice change.
Background The association between habitual food intake in Tibet and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is largely unclear. Objective To examine the association between Tibetan habitual food intake and MetS among Tibetan adults. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study, named the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) study, was conducted between 2018 and 2019. We used data from all Tibetans in the CMEC in the current study. The participants, 1,954 men and 3,060 women aged 18–79 years, were from Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet. The habitual dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). MetS was defined according to ATP III guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the association between five Tibetan habitual foods and MetS. Results Tsampa, butter tea, and Qing cha intake were associated with reduced prevalence of MetS. Compared with the lowest quartile of each food, odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of medium and high Tsampa intake were 0.59 (0.41–0.85) and 0.53 (0.36–0.77), ORs (95% CIs) of butter tea were 0.67 (0.52–0.88) and 0.61 (0.46–0.81), and Qing cha were 0.85 (0.71–1.03) and 0.75 (0.60–0.93), respectively. When exploring the joint effects of these three foods on MetS, the adjusted ORs and their 95% CIs were 0.65 (0.49–0.87) for the middle intake group and 0.59 (0.42–0.83) for the high intake group as compared with the never/rarely group ( p = 0.022 for trend). Associations of MetS with Tibetan noodles and raw beef were not observed. Conclusion Tsampa, butter tea, and Qing cha were negatively associated with MetS. The recommendation of increasing the intake of these foods may be beneficial for MetS prevention.
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Li et al. (2022) conducted a cross-sectional in Metabolic syndrome (n=5,014). High joint intake of Tsampa, butter tea, and Qing cha vs. Never or rare intake was evaluated on Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.42-0.83, p=0.022). High joint intake of Tsampa, butter tea, and Qing cha was associated with a 41% lower odds of metabolic syndrome compared to never or rare intake (OR 0.59).
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