Dietary Habits and their Association with Metabolic Syndrome in a sample of Iranian adults: A population‐based study

BACKGROUND: Central obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension are the core components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) which is coincident with unhealthy dietary habits in the Middle‐Eastern countries. The aim of this study was to explore the association between dietary habits and MetS of the adult population living in Yazd Greater Area, Iran. METHODS: This is a cross‐sectional study that uses the data of a population‐based cohort study on Iranian adults, known as Yazd Health Study (YaHS). The relationship between dietary habits and metabolic syndrome among adults (n = 2,896) was analyzed using multiple logistic regression method. RESULTS: The prevalence of MetS among the participants was 32.2%. Outcomes from logistic regression examination show that breakfast consumption has a significant inverse effect on the occurrence of MetS after adjustment for age, education level, physical activity statue, history of chronic diseases, and smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.14, 0.97). This effect remains significant even after adjustment for body mass index (BMI) and reveals that odds of having MetS is 69% lower in breakfast consumers in contrast to nonconsumers (OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.11, 0.87). However, no significant relationship was observed between other dietary habits including consumption of sweetened drinks, sugar cubes, and fast foods and MetS after adjustment for all potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that eating breakfast has an inverse relationship with metabolic syndrome. To find out stronger evidence in relation to dietary habits and MetS, more researches especially population‐based cohort studies are needed to be conducted.