Food insecurity is associated with glycemic markers, and socioeconomic status and low-cost diets are associated with lipid metabolism in Mexican mothers.

The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and chronic disease has recently become more evident in middle- and low-income countries. We hypothesized that poor socioeconomic conditions, such as food insecurity, low educational level, or low SES, may restrict access to a healthy diet and may be associated with cardiometabolic risk independently of body fat. This study examined the relation between socioeconomic indicators, body fat, and cardiometabolic disease risk markers in a random sample of mothers living in Queretaro, Mexico. Young and middle-aged mothers (n = 321) answered validated questionnaires to determine SES, food insecurity, and educational level and a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire to determine dietary patterns and the cost of individual diet. Clinical measurements included anthropometry, blood pressure, lipids profile, glucose, and insulin. Obesity was present in 29% of the participants. Women with moderate food insecurity had higher waist circumference, glucose, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance than women with food security. High triglyceride concentration and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with lower SES and lower educational level. Women who consumed a lower carbohydrate diet had higher SES, higher education, and better cardiovascular risk markers. The higher carbohydrate diet profile was the least expensive diet. There was an inverse association between the cost and energy-density of foods. In conclusion, food insecurity was associated with glycemic control markers, and lower SES and education were related to a low-cost, higher carbohydrate diet and to a greater cardiovascular risk. The influence of the social environment on obesity and cardiovascular diseases needs to be further explored.

Gut Bacterial Families Are Associated with Body Composition and Metabolic Risk Markers in School-Aged Children in Rural Mexico.

Background: Differences in gut microbiota composition have been associated with obesity and metabolic alterations in children. The aim of this study was to analyze the abundance of the main bacterial families of the gut among children according to their body composition and metabolic markers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 93 school-aged children (8.4 ± 1.6 years old). Anthropometric and body composition variables were measured and a blood sample was collected to determine glucose, insulin, lipid profile, C-reactive protein, leptin, and cytokines [interleukin 6, interleukin 10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)]. DNA was extracted from stool samples and the abundance of bacterial families (Bacteroidaceae-Porphyromonadaceae-Prevotellaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Lachnospiraceae-Ruminococcaceae) was determined by qPCR assays. Results: Children with obesity and high waist/height ratio had lower Bacteroidaceae-Porphyromonadaceae-Prevotellaceae and higher abundance of Lactobacillaceae when compared with normal-weight children. TNFα was negatively associated and IL-10 was positively associated with Bacteroidaceae-Porphyromonadaceae-Prevotellaceae. Triglycerides showed a positive relationship with Lachnospiraceae-Ruminococcaceae whereas high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was negatively associated with Lactobacillaceae. Conclusion: In rural Mexican school-aged children, a low abundance of Bacteroidaceae-Porphyromonadaceae-Prevotellaceae and a high abundance of Lactobacillaceae are associated with obesity and metabolic disturbances.

Overvaluation of Eating and Satiation Explains the Association of Food Insecurity and Food Intake With Obesity and Cardiometabolic Diseases.

BACKGROUND: In developing countries, where energy-dense foods with low nutrient content are highly accessible, the fear of feeling hungry and the desire of prolonging satiation have been documented. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of valuation of eating and satiation in the relationship of food insecurity with diet, obesity, and cardiometabolic risk with structural equation modeling. METHODS: A validated questionnaire that measures the value of eating and satiation (VES) as the basis of wealth was administered to 321 adult women from Queretaro, Mexico. Instruments for measurement of socioeconomic status, food insecurity, physical activity, and a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire were also applied. Women were measured and weighed, and they provided a fasting blood sample to determine lipid profile, glucose, and insulin concentrations. Structural equation models were used for prediction of the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol index. RESULTS: The models confirmed, with acceptable goodness-of-fit parameters, the mediation position of VES between past experiences of food insecurity and a greater intake of carbohydrates and its impact on obesity, and on the HOMA-IR and the triglyceride/HDL-cholesterol index. CONCLUSION: Experiences of food insecurity may increase VES in women and influence eating behavior, increasing intake of sugars and starches in their diet, thus increasing the risk of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes. The understanding of essential values that induce unfavorable eating behavior in a population that has experienced past food insecurity may help to develop public health strategies for prevention of cardiometabolic diseases.

Beliefs and motives related to eating and body size: a comparison of high-BMI and normal-weight young adult women from rural and urban areas in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Effective treatment and prevention of obesity and its co-morbidities requires the recognition and understanding of cultural and social aspects of eating practices. The objective of the present study was to identify social factors and beliefs that may explain undesirable eating practices among women with high body mass index (HBMI) compared with normal-weight (NW) women from rural and urban areas classified as middle-low socioeconomic status (SES) in the State of Querétaro, Mexico. METHODS: A qualitative technique with individual in-depth interviews was used. Fifty-five women with either NW or HBMI from rural and urban areas participated in the study. The responses were analyzed by coding and grouping text fragments into categories in a data matrix, in order to make comparisons between BMI groups and between rural and urban women. RESULTS: The habit of skipping breakfast prevailed among women with HBMI who also reported childhood food deprivation. Feelings related to eating seemed to be more important than losing weight among women with HBMI from urban and rural areas. Thus, overweight might be interpreted as a social symbol of the enjoyment of a good life, primarily in rural areas. Overweight was socially accepted when it occurred in children and in married woman, mainly because it is a symbol of the good life that the head of the household provides, and also because women may feel more relaxed about their weight when they already have a partner. The study also revealed that women with HBMI were not sufficiently motivated to lose weight unless they experience a physical indication of poor health. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study are helpful in the understanding of the reasons why strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity may not be as effective as expected. The belief system of particular social groups within different SESs should be considered in order to understand the etiology of obesity and develop effective strategies.

Increased calorie intake at a specific mid-morning meal and increased intake of soft drinks are strongly associated with obesity in Mexican rural women.

The study investigated the dietary habits and foods that are associated with obesity in women from a rural area in Mexico. Anthropometry and body fat were measured in 580 women. Participants answered a socioeconomic and a food-frequency questionnaire; a subsample (n = 80) also answered three 24-hour-recall questionnaires. Results showed that obese women consumed more soft drinks and fat than did overweight and normal-weight women. Women who consumed more energy during a mid-morning meal had higher BMI. A strategy to decrease the prevalence of obesity in rural areas could be to encourage limiting the consumption of soft drinks and eliminating or reducing caloric intake at a mid-morning meal.

Food, eating and body image in the lives of low socioeconomic status rural Mexican women living in Queretaro State, Mexico.

Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews were used to explore how women from low socioeconomic rural households in Queretaro State, Mexico perceived and reacted to their obesogenic environment. Reduced availability of healthy food options and household financial constraints along with reduced agency of women in this setting were factors that limited women's ability to access and consume diets consistent with the promotion of good health. The cultural values that emphasised obesity as a desirable state for women and the women's social networks that promoted these values were also identified as playing a role in reinforcing certain behaviours. Public health advocates wanting to design interventions in such settings need to be sensitive to the cultural as well as the environmental context described for rural Mexican women.

Bioavailability of zinc oxide added to corn tortilla is similar to that of zinc sulfate and is not affected by simultaneous addition of iron.

BACKGROUND: Corn tortilla is the staple food of Mexico and its fortification with zinc, iron, and other micronutrients is intended to reduce micronutrient deficiencies. However, no studies have been performed to determine the relative amount of zinc absorbed from the fortified product and whether zinc absorption is affected by the simultaneous addition of iron. OBJECTIVE: To compare zinc absorption from corn tortilla fortified with zinc oxide versus zinc sulfate and to determine the effect of simultaneous addition of two doses of iron on zinc bioavailability. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, crossover design was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, 10 adult women received corn tortillas with either 20 mg/kg of zinc oxide added, 20 mg/kg of zinc sulfate added, or no zinc added. In the second phase, 10 adult women received corn tortilla with 20 mg/kg of zinc oxide added and either with no iron added or with iron added at one of two different levels. Zinc absorption was measured by the stable isotope method. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SEM) fractional zinc absorption from unfortified tortilla, tortilla fortified with zinc oxide, and tortilla fortified with zinc sulfate did not differ among treatments: 0.35 +/- 0.07, 0.36 +/- 0.05, and 0.37 +/- 0.07, respectively. The three treatment groups with 0, 30, and 60 mg/kg of added iron had similar fractional zinc absorption (0.32 +/- 0.04, 0.33 +/- 0.02, and 0.32 +/- 0.05, respectively) and similar amounts of zinc absorbed (4.8 +/- 0.7, 4.5 +/- 0.3, and 4.8 +/- 0.7 mg/day, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Since zinc oxide is more stable and less expensive and was absorbed equally as well as zinc sulfate, we suggest its use for corn tortilla fortification. Simultaneous addition of zinc and iron to corn tortilla does not modify zinc bioavailability at iron doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg of corn flour.