Association between Meal Frequency and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Adults: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study.

Diet frequency may potentially influence metabolic health. However, general population-based evidence on the association between meal frequency and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains limited and inconclusive. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association between meal frequency and T2DM in resource limited area. A total of 29,405 qualified participants were enrolled from the Henan rural cohort study. Data on meal frequency were collected through a validated face-to-face questionnaire survey. Logistic regression models were utilized to explore the association between meal frequency and T2DM. Compared with 21 times per week meal frequency group, the adjusted odds ratios ( ORs ) and 95% confidence intervals ( 95%CIs ) were 0.75 (0.58, 0.95) and 0.70 (0.54, 0.90) for 16-20 times/week group and 14-15 times/week group, respectively. For the analysis of the three meals, significant associations were only found between dinner frequency and T2DM. Compared with seven times per week dinner group, the ORs ( 95%CIs ) were 0.66 (0.42, 0.99) and 0.51 (0.29, 0.82) for the group with three to six times/week and zero to two times/week. Reduced meal frequency, especially dinner frequency, was associated with lower prevalence of T2DM, which suggests that an appropriate reduction in meal frequency per week may have a role in decreasing the risk of T2DM.