To date, few studies have compared the dietary quality of US adults with diabetes mellitus (DM), osteoarthritis (OA), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by age groups.
This study used cross-sectional data from adult participants from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016 to identify dietary quality measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 total and component scores and self-reported disease status for DM, OA, and RA. Associations between the disease status and HEI-2015 total/component scores among younger adults aged 20-59 years (
Among younger adults, 7% had DM, 7% had OA, and 3% had RA. Among older adults, 20% had DM, 32% had OA, and 6% had RA. Moderate added sugar intake was associated with diabetes in all adults. Excess sodium intake was associated with DM among younger adults. Inadequate seafood and plant protein intake was associated with RA among younger adults, while a poor overall dietary pattern was associated with RA among older adults.
The dietary quality of US adults varied by self-reported DM, OA, and RA status, and each varied by age group.