Association between intuitive eating and food intake in type 2 diabetes: a study based on the NOVA classification

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the association between intuitive eating and dietary pattern, according to the NOVA classification, in a population with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This was an observational cross-sectional study in patients at a university hospital in Vitória-ES, Brazil. For data collection, a semi-structured questionnaire was used, and food intake was assessed by the level of processing according to the NOVA classification. Intuitive eating was assessed by the Intuitive Eating Scale-2, and 179 individuals, mostly female and elderly, were evaluated. The chance of individuals consuming unprocessed or minimally processed foods was doubled in those participants who had dieted (OR=2.149; CI95%=1.142-4.045; p=0.018). In contrast, eating with unconditional permission reduced the chances of participants consuming this group of foods by 52.7% (OR=0.473; CI95%=0.235-0.952; p=0.036). Moreover, the chances of participants consuming ultra-processed foods was increased by 2.34 times in those having T2DM for more than 10 years (OR=2.344; CI95%=1.114-4.933; p=0.025). When assessing intuitive eating, it was observed that eating in congruence with bodily needs reduced the chances of the individual consuming ultra-processed foods by 45% (OR=0.547; CI95%=0.309-0.968; p=0.038). Therefore, the subscales of intuitive eating were associated differently with food intake according to the level of food processing in individuals with T2DM.

Keywords

• eating behavior. intuitive eating. diabetes mellitus. food processing. food classification. nova.