Objective

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) present a huge global burden, accounting for approximately 7.3 trillion cases and 43.8 million deaths in 2021. In India, 68% of all deaths are caused by NCDs. Carbohydrate intake has been associated with NCD development. Standard Indian diets mainly comprise carbohydrates. In this study, we aimed to analyze the association of vegetarian versus omnivorous diets with the odds of developing NCDs in patients visiting the emergency department.
Methods
Over 18 months, a cross-sectional epidemiological survey-based study was conducted among patients aged >18 years presenting to our department with documented comorbid conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus [DM], hypertension, heart disease, hypothyroidism, Alzheimer disease, and cancer). These patients completed a 32-item questionnaire survey regarding dietary and lifestyle choices. Associations between comorbidity status and dietary variables were evaluated by bivariate analysis. Additionally, unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and adjusted OR for DM, hypertension, and heart disease were calculated.
Results
This study included 11,011 patients, of which 55.31% were males and 68.91% were >55 years old. Furthermore, 65.87% were vegetarians, whereas 28.97% were omnivores. Hypertension, DM, and heart disease were found in 62.6%, 49.9% and 26.0%, respectively, while 58% had combinations of NCDs. Adjusted for age, sex, smoking, sugar, alcohol, exercise, and packaged food, OR (omnivore vs. vegetarian) was 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86–1.03; P=0.180), 0.91 (95% CI, 0.83–1.00; P=0.052) and 1.02 (95% CI, 0.92–1.13; P=0.690) for DM, hypertension, and heart disease, respectively.
Conclusion
Most patients with NCDs followed a vegetarian dietary pattern, which was not associated with lower odds of developing NCDs.