Sofrito and Fruit Consumption, Associated with Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in an Urban Latin American Cohort

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.