Relationship between metabolic syndrome and dietary diversity in the Rafsanjan cohort study

The rapid increase in metabolic syndrome (MetS) as a major public health problem may be attributed to changes in population behavior patterns in modern society, including nutritional habits and physical activity. Therefore, this study investigated the association between dietary diversity score (DDS) and adult metabolic syndrome. In this cross-sectional study, 9715 participants aged 35-70 years from the Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS) were included. Demographic, medical, and habitual histories were collected. DDS was calculated using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). All analyses were performed using Stata 14, with p-values < 0.05. Based on the DDS, subjects were divided into four groups (quartiles). The multivariate-adjusted model showed that the risk of MetS increased by 18% in the third quartile and by 25% in the fourth quartile (OR: 1.18; 98% CI: 1.02-1.36 and OR: 1.25; 98% CI: 1.06-1.48, respectively). Additionally, an increased risk of high serum triglyceride levels was observed in the third quartile (OR: 1.19; 98% CI: 1.05-1.35). The results suggest that there is a relationship between DDS and metabolic syndrome, although this relationship changed after adjusting for confounders.