Unraveling the Relationship Between Cultural Food Habits and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Men: A Case-Control Study in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Background: Limited research has been conducted on the association between cultural food habits (CFH) and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and no studies have specifically investigated the long-term dietary impact on COPD risk in the Republic of Kazakhstan [1]. However, the prevalence of various non-communicable diseases, including COPD, is high in the country, and some of these diseases may be influenced by CFH. To better understand the relationship between CFH and non-communicable diseases, the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan has provided funding for research through grant number OR12165486, titled "National Programme for the Introduction of Personalized and Preventive Medicine in The Republic of Kazakhstan (2021–2023)" (Grant number OR12165486). The current case-control study is being conducted as part of this grant. Aim: We sought to investigate the association between long-term red meat consumption and risk of COPD. Methods: The case – control study primarily targeted the population of the Almaty Observational Cohort, comprising 609 men aged 30 to 85 years. These participants were monitored for analysis purposes between 2018 and 2023, with an average age of 51.2 years (95% CI 48.1–54.3). The assessment of unprocessed and processed red meat consumption was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire in both 2018 and 2023. Results: Among individuals with COPD, the predominant factors associated with the disease were the consumption of red meat more than 10 times per month (84.9%), a body mass index (BMI) over 25 (73.6%), the consumption of more than 100 grams of red meat per serving (62.3%), and the consumption of less than 100 grams of fresh fruits per serving (52.8%). In the control group, the primary factors were alcohol consumption in the past 12 months (69.2%), the consumption of red meat more than 10 times per month (62.9%), the consumption of more than 100 grams of red meat per serving (55.8%), and the consumption of fresh fruits less than 30 times per month (52.0%). Conclusion: The findings suggest that high consumption of red meat, low consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and a preference for fatty foods may increase the risk of developing COPD among men in Kazakhstan. These results emphasize the importance of promoting balanced and healthy dietary habits to reduce the burden of COPD and improve public health.