Association between comprehensive dietary antioxidant index and metabolic syndrome and its components: findings from the 2003–2018 NHANES data (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The relationship between Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE This study used data from the NHANES database on 5,493 participants aged 60 years or above from 2003 to 2018 to assess the relationship between CDAI and MetS. METHODS MetS are defined based on criteria proposed by the third report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Group. The scoring method established by Wright was adjusted to calculate CDAI. We divided CDAI scores into 4 quantiles and analyzed the relationship between CDAI and MetS using multiple logistic regression and restricted cubic spline. RESULTS Our findings showed that CDAI was inversely associated with MetS and significantly affected waist circumference, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels. The highest quartile of CDAI and the multi-factor adjusted OR values and 95% confidence interval (CI) of MetS, waist circumference, blood pressure and triglycerides were 0.97 (0.94-0.99), 0.96 (0.93-1.00), 0.97 (0.95-0.99), 0.95 (0.93-0.98), respectively. In addition, subgroup analyses showed that female with high CDAI scores were less prone to develop MetS, obesity, and hypertension than male. CONCLUSIONS Our cross-sectional study highlighted that dietary antioxidant intake is strongly associated with MetS. Further research needs to be conducted to confirm this consequence.