Background: The World Health Organization states that prevention of chronic diseases should be mainly based on good lifestyle behaviors and healthy diets as they can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases by 80%. The theory of traditional Chinese medicine constitution (TCMC) emphasizes that congenital differences of TCMC stem from the genes of the parents, while acquired differences in TCMC are caused by factors such as living environments, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary habits. Promoting self-management and beneficial lifestyle habits can improve health literacy and disease control. This study explores the correlation between dietary habits and lifestyle behaviors as potential risk factors for different types of TCMC—balanced constitution, Yang-deficiency, Yin-deficiency, and Phlegm-stasis.

Methods: Research data were collected from 2,760 subjects aged 30–70 years who participated in a survey conducted by Taiwan Biobank in 2012–2017. The survey content included questions on basic demographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary habits as well as a Body constitution questionnaire (BCQ).
Results: Analysis revealed that younger age was associated with an increased likelihood of Yang deficiency or Phlegm stasis. Compared to men, women were 3–4 times more likely to develop unbalanced constitutions. Demographic variables, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary habits that affected TCMC constitution were sex, cigarette smoking, midnight snack consumption, consumption of gravy-soaked or lard-soaked rice/noodles, consumption of deep-fried soybean products, consumption of bread spread, consumption of pickled vegetables as side dishes for the main course of a meal, and the consumption of vegetables or fruits instead of high-fat desserts. The occurrence of three unbalanced TCMC types (Yang-deficiency, Yin-deficiency, and Phlegm-stasis) was negatively correlated with female sex, poor dietary habits, and lifestyle behaviors.

Conclusions: Poor dietary habits and lifestyle behaviors are likely to cause unbalanced TCMCs. Understanding the specific TCMC of a given individual can provide useful information and predictions to maintain physical health and achieve early disease. Maintaining good habits and lifestyles can improve patient knowledge, motivation, and ability to use health information.