Adherence to healthy eating patterns and the risk of metabolic syndrome: tehran lipid and glucose study

This prospective study aimed to (1) evaluate the prospective association between 3 healthy eating patterns, including global diet quality score (GDQS), dietary antioxidant quality score (DAQS), and alternative healthy eating index (AHEI), and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), and (2) assess the effect of weight change on the observed associations. This study included 1915 adults (65% female) aged ≥ 19 years who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). Dietary intake was assessed via a valid semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. MetS was defined using the Joint Interim Statement. During a median follow-up period of 8.91 years, 591 new cases of MetS were confirmed. Neither GDQS, DAQS, nor AHEI was associated with MetS risk after adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors. When stratified by weight change, a reduction in MetS risk was noted among participants who experienced weight loss in the third tertiles of DAQS and GDQS. High-quality diets, evaluated using GDQS and DAQS, may be linked to a lower risk of MetS when accompanied by weight loss.