Association of Food Security with Atherogenic Glucose and Lipid Profile among Women: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Zabol, Southeast of Iran

Food insecurity and poor quality of diet are among risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The main objective of this study was to assess the association of food insecurity with atherogenic glucose and lipid profile in women.

In this cross-sectional study, 630 women between 18 and 50 years of age were selected by cluster sampling and interviewed face-to-face. To assess the household’s food security status, we used a household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) questionnaire, which its validity and reliability had been determined in the Iranian population. The serum levels of glucose (FBS), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were measured and LDL/HDL, TC/HDL, and TG/HDL ratios were calculated.

The mean serum concentrations of TG and TG/HDL ratio were significantly higher in the women suffering from moderate and severe food insecurity compared to those in the food-secure women (p=0.002). Compared with the food secure group, women with moderate and severe food security were more likely to develop hypertriglyceridemia (adjusted OR, 1.63; p=0.018) and a high TG/HDL ratio (adjusted OR, 1.52; p=0.030). However, food security status showed no significant associations with the probability of having the impaired fasting glucose, hypercholesterolemia, high LDL, low HDL, and abnormal ratios of LDL/HDL and TC/HDL.

Food insecurity may be associated with increased risk of hypertriglyceridemia and high TG/HDL in women.