Prevalence Trends of Metabolic Syndrome among Korean Children and Adolescents from a Population-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence trend of metabolic syndrome among Korean adolescents and to examine the effect of changes in dietary components on metabolic syndrome components. It has used the data of children and adolescents (8718 subjects aged 10–18) from the National Health and Nutrition Survey IV-VII (KNHANES 2007–2018) to estimate the recent prevalence of MetS and identify related nutritional factors. The definition of MetS used modified NCEP-ATP III and IDF criteria. The prevalence of MetS among Korean adolescents in 2007–2018 was 4.6% using the modified NCEP-ATP III criteria, and the trend of MetS increased significantly (p trend = 0.02). In the overweight and obese groups, the risk of MetS increased 7.08 (95% CI, 5.19–9.79) and 27.13 (95% CI, 20.90–35.24) compared to the normal-weight group. During KNHANES IV-VII, overall caloric intake increased, carbohydrate and sodium intake decreased, but fat intake increased (KNHANE-IV; 21.3% to VII; 24.0%, p < 0.001). These fat intakes were significantly correlated with an increase in systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and waist circumference. The prevalence of MetS is also increasing in Korean adolescents, and changes in dietary habits are related. In the future, it is also necessary to study the relationship of MetS to lifestyle.