Over the past 30 years there has been a twofold increase of obesity and overweight across the globe.  This obesity epidemic and increase in metabolic syndrome are in part due to a global nutrition transition from traditional plant-based foods to consumption of a more energy dense diet and accompanied by sedentary lifestyles.  Analyzing dietary patterns, which consider total diet as an alternative to the traditional single-nutrient or food analysis can better guide nutrition education and formulation of nutrition policy.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association 111:8 1137-1140 2011