Dietary habits are known to be closely related not only to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and
diabetes, but also to self-rated health (SRH). Consequently, there is a highly important lifestyle component in
maintaining a healthy life. The aim of the present study was to determine the correlation between diverse dietary
habits based on the Sasang constitutions (SC) and SRH. The data were collected from 2,984 participants who met the
constitution pharmacology criteria and whose SC were clinically confirmed by SC professionals. Dietary habits were
observed by assessing the regularity of diet, meal volume, and meal speed; single-answer questions were used for
SRH. Fisher’s exact/chi-square test and logistic regression were used to analyze the correlation between dietary habits
depending on constitutional type and SRH. In association with constitutional SRH, the Taeum type is related to the
amount of meal, the Soeum and Soyang types are related to the regularity of meal and meal volume. In the Taeum
type, there was a significantly higher risk of lower SRH when meal volumes were irregular less than previous
amounts. Irregular diet, as well as increased or decreased meal volume, negatively correlated with SRH in the Soeum
type; in the Soyang type, irregular diet and decreased or irregular meal volume negatively affected SRH. This showed
the presence of the different effects of dietary habits on health depending on constitution and also confirmed the
association of the regularity of diet and meal volume based on constitution and the frequency of bad dietary habits
with SRH. We suggest that personalized healthcare with adequate dietary improvement considering constitution is
needed for health management or improvement. |
