Objective: To evaluate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in an urban Ecuadorian population, with emphasis on the protective role of specific dietary components and body composition. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with 1373 adults aged 18–75 years. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed using the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS-14), while T2D risk was estimated using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Scale (FINDRISC). Anthropometric and body composition parameters were measured using standardized procedures. Adjusted associations between exposure variables and T2D risk were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance, and prevalence ratios were calculated after controlling for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Results: Most participants showed low adherence to the MedDiet (85.2%), which was significantly associated with higher T2D risk. Multivariate analysis of individual dietary components showed relevant associations. Regular consumption of sofrito was associated with lower T2D risk (PR = 0.817; 95% CI: 0.682–0.979; p = 0.028). Similarly, low fruit consumption was associated with a substantially higher T2D risk (PR = 1.350; 95% CI: 1.146–1.589; p = 0.001). In addition, higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were consistently related to greater T2D risk. Conclusions: Greater adherence to the MedDiet, particularly consumption of key components such as sofrito and fruits, was associated with lower T2D risk. These findings highlight the importance of preventive lifestyle interventions adapted to the Latin American context.

Objective. To evaluate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in an urban Ecuadorian population, with emphasis on the protective effect of specific dietary components and body composition. Methods. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with 1,373 adults aged 18–75 years. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed using the MEDAS-14 questionnaire, while the risk of developing T2D was estimated using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Scale (FINDRISC). Anthropometric and body composition parameters were measured using standardized procedures. Adjusted associations between exposure variables and T2D risk were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance, calculating prevalence ratios and controlling for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Results. The majority of participants showed low adherence to the MedDiet (85.2%), which was significantly associated with the risk of T2D. Multivariate analysis of individual dietary components showed relevant associations. Regular consumption of sofrito was associated with a lower risk (PR=0.817; 95% CI: 0.682–0.979; p = 0.028). Similarly, low fruit consumption was associated with a substantially higher risk of T2D (PR = 1.350; 95% CI: 1.146–1.589; p = 0.001). In addition, higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were consistently related to greater T2D risk. Conclusions. Adherence to the Med Diet and the consumption of key components such as sofrito and fruits are associated with a lower risk of developing T2D, highlighting the importance of preventive lifestyle interventions adapted to the Latin American context.

Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CV) is the leading cause of death in Ecuador, and educational workers have been described as exposed to occupational stress and sedentary behavior, factors that may increase cardiometabolic risk. This study evaluated the concordance among three central adiposity indicators, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-estimated visceral fat level (VFL), and their associations with cardiometabolic markers and dietary quality (DQ) in educational workers in Loja, Ecuador. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 101 workers (73 women, 28 men; mean age 37.7 years). Adiposity was classified using sex-specific cut-offs for WC (≥90/≥80 cm), WHR (≥0.90/≥0.85) (men/women) and a BIA-estimated VFL (>9). Fasting lipid profiles, fasting glucose, and DQ were assessed once, with DQ evaluated using the Diet Quality Questionnaire (DQQ). Statistical analyses included Cohen’s kappa; Spearman correlation, and binary logistic regression. Results: Overweight or obesity was present in 65.3% of participants, and 57.4% had all three central adiposity indicators simultaneously elevated. Indicator concordance was substantial (κ = 0.625–0.747). Altered cardiometabolic markers were common, notably low HDL-c (49.0%) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG, 32.3%). In exploratory sex-stratified analyses, WHR showed the strongest correlations with triglycerides (r_s = +0.607) and cumulative altered markers (r_s = +0.450). Age ≥ 40 years independently raised odds of IFG (aOR = 5.5; 95% CI: 2.0–15.3) and hypertriglyceridemia (aOR = 3.8; 95% CI: 1.2–11.8). Teaching staff exhibited lower DQ scores than support staff (p = 0.041). DQ scores showed no significant association with metabolic markers. Conclusions: Educational workers in this sample present a heavy burden of central adiposity and metabolic alterations. All three indicators showed substantial concordance; WHR displayed the broadest associations, although the small male subgroup requires larger validation. These associations reflect statistical relationships and agreement in classification, not diagnostic accuracy; no single indicator can be recommended as a standalone screening tool on the basis of these data. Older workers showed a higher burden of cardiometabolic alterations, which may warrant closer attention in future preventive research.