The socio-economic development which followed the discovery of oil resources brought about considerable changes in the food habits and lifestyle of the Kuwaiti population. Excessive caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure due to a sedentary lifestyle have led to a rapid increase in obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable chronic diseases in the population. In this paper, we examine the prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among Kuwaiti adults (≥20 years) using data from the first national nutrition survey conducted between July 2008 and November 2009. The prevalence of MetS was 37.7% in females and 34.2% in males by NCEP criteria, whereas the values were 40.1% in females and 41.7% in males according to IDF criteria. Prevalence of MetS increased with age and was higher in females than males. The high prevalence of the MetS in Kuwaiti adults warrants urgent public health measures to prevent morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular complications in the future.

BackgroundVitamin D homeostasis may play a critical role in glucose metabolism. Little is known on vitamin D deficiency and its association with diabetes in countries of the Arabia Gulf where the population is experiencing a rapid increase in the incidence of diabetes.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study of 960 adults enrolled in the first National Nutrition Survey of the State of Kuwait (NNSSK), we examined vitamin D status in association with the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes. Vitamin D status was measured by serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitami D (25(OH)D). Prevalences of diabetes and prediabetes were determined based on fasting glucose and HbA1C levels.ResultsThe median level of serum 25(OH)D in Kuwaiti adults was 13.8 ng/ml. Approximately 56 % of the Kuwaiti adults had vitamin D inadequacy (25(OH)D = 12–19.9 ng/ml), and 27 % had vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 12 ng/ml). The prevalences of prediabetes and diabetes were 40 and 27 %, respectively. Vitamin D inadequacy (OR = 1.7, 95 % CI: 1.0–2.9) and deficiency (OR =2.0, 95 % CI: 1.1–3.3) was each associated with about two-fold increased odds of prediabetes compared to sufficient vitamin D status (25(OH)D ≥20 ng/ml). Vitamin D inadequacy (OR =2.1, 95 % CI: 1.2–3.7) and deficiency (OR =2.0, 95 % CI: 1.1–3.9) were also associated with two-fold increased odds of diabetes.ConclusionsData from Kuwaiti’s first nutrition nutritional survey suggests a very high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Kuwaiti adults. Associations of low vitamin D status and high prevalence of diabetes point to the need of continuous monitoring of vitamin D status and further evaluating potential health consequences in this high-risk population.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-2758-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency (ID) of a nationally representative sample of the Kuwait population. We also determined if anemia differed by socioeconomic status or by RBC folate and vitamins A and B12 levels. The subjects who were made up of 1830 males and females between the ages of 2 months to 86 years, were divided into the following age groups (0–5, 5–11, 12–14, 15–19, 20–49, ≥50 years). Results showed that the prevalence of anemia was 3% in adult males and 17% in females. The prevalence of ID varied according to age between 4% (≥50 years) and 21% (5–11 years) and 9% (12–14 years) and 23% (15–19 years), respectively, in males and females. The prevalence of anemia and ID was higher in females compared to males. Adults with normal ferritin level, but with low RBC folate and vitamins A and B12 levels had higher prevalence of anemia than those with normal RBC folate and vitamins A and B12 levels. This first nationally representative nutrition and health survey in Kuwait indicated that anemia and ID are prevalent and ID contributes significantly to anemia prevalence.

The incidence of diabetes is increasing rapidly in countries of the Arabian Gulf, possibly due to changes in lifestyle and food intake patterns. Recent evidence from some trials in non‐Gulf regions suggests vitamin D homeostasis may play an important role in the etiology of type 2 diabetes. New data that have recently become available from the Kuwait National Nutrition Survey (KNNS) provide further evidence for a role of vitamin D in glucose homeostasis. Here we examined serum levels of 25‐ hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in association with fasting glucose and diabetes in 1,021 adults from KNNS. Vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) and insufficiency (10–19.9 ng/ml) was observed in 27% and 56% respectively (median serum 25 (OH)D = 13.8 ng/ml). Low serum level of 25(OH)D was associated with high levels of fasting glucose (log‐transformed) (ß=0.02, 95%CI: −0.01, 0.06 for 25 (OH)D 10–19.9 vs. =20ng/ml; ß=0.05, 95%CI: 0.003, 0.09 for 25(OH)D <10 vs. =20ng/ml; P trend =0.04). Low 25(OH)D levels were not associated with high prevalence of diabetes but with 60–80% increased prevalence of prediabetes (OR=1.6, 95%CI: 1.0, 2.6 for 25(OH)D 10–19 vs. =20ng/ml; OR=1.8, 95%CI: 1.0, 3.0 for 25(OH)D <10 vs. =20ng/ml; P trend =0.05). Our findings suggest that a large proportion of Kuwaiti adults have vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, and low vitamin D status is associated with high levels of fasting glucose and high prevalence of prediabetes.