Secular Trends Over 12 Years and Sex-Specific Associations: Alcohol Consumption Status and Vegetable and Meat Dietary Patterns

Abstract

This study aimed to examine secular trends in alcohol consumption status and data-driven dietary patterns and investigate sex-specific associations between alcohol consumption status and dietary patterns in Korean men and women. The data of 43,175 adults (17,721 men and 25,454 women) aged 19 to 64 years extracted from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted between 2007 and 2018 were subjected to factor analysis, and two types of dietary patterns were identified; a "vegetable dietary pattern" and a "meat dietary pattern". Analyses of the secular trends of these dietary patterns and alcohol consumption status revealed a significant increase in the meat dietary pattern and alcohol drinking in women (P<0.001). On the other hand, in men, a significant decrease in alcohol drinking (P<0.001) and the vegetable dietary pattern (P<0.05) and a significant increase in the meat dietary pattern (P<0.001) were observed. Multiple association analyses showed that the meat dietary pattern was positively associated with alcohol consumption in men and women (P<0.001) and that the vegetable dietary pattern was inversely associated with alcohol consumption in men (P<0.001). Male and female heavy drinkers showed high and similar factor scores for the meat dietary pattern. These results suggest that heavy alcohol consumption is likely accompanied by high red meat intake, potentially exacerbating chronic disease risks.