OBJECTIVETo evaluate the overall diet quality of adults in Guangzhou and investigate whether adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents could help to reduce the risk of obesity and insulin resistance.

METHODSAll 540 adults aged 40-59 years completed 3 consecutive 24-hour diet recalls. Diet quality were evaluated by using Chinese Diet Balance Index (DBI) scoring and evaluating system. Anthropometric parameters, fast glucose and fast insulin were measured. Insulin resistance was defined as the highest quartile of the homeostasis model assessment scores.

RESULTSThe DBI-Lower Bound Score (DBI-LBS), DBI-Higher Bound Score (DBI-HBS) and DBI-Diet Quality Distance (DBI-DQD) were 16.1-17.5, 7.6-8.2, 23.6-25.7 relatively. The intake of cereals, beans and dietary products were insufficient in the population, while the intake of animal food, salt and edible oils were excessive. Subjects in model A had a lower body mass index (BMI, P=0.022) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR, P=0.001) than those in model E. Compared with model A, subjects in model E had greater odds ratio for insulin resistance (odds ratio: 3.00; 95% CI: 1.21, 7.67).

CONCLUSIONThe dietary structure of the residents in Guangzhou was relatively balanced and reasonable, but the problems such as inadequate food intake and excessive food intake still co-exist. Adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents could help to reduce the risk of insulin resistance.