The Oslo Health Study: A Dietary Index estimating high intake of soft drinks and low intake of fruits and vegetables was positively associated with components of the metabolic syndrome

Abstract

A previous finding that soft drink intake is associated with increased serum triglycerides and decreased high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, both components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), raises the question of whether other aspects of an unhealthy diet might be associated with MetS. Main MetS requirements are central obesity and 2 of the following: increased triglycerides, low HDL, increased systolic or diastolic blood pressure, and elevated fasting blood glucose. Of the 18 770 participants in the Oslo Health Study, there were 13 170 respondents (5997 men and 7173 women) with data on MetS factors (except fasting glucose) and on the components used to determine the Dietary Index score (calculated as the intake estimate of soft drinks divided by the sum of intake estimates of fruits and vegetables). MetSRisk was calculated as the sum of arbitrarily weighted factors positively associated with MetS divided by HDL cholesterol. Using regression analyses, the association of the Dietary Index with MetSRisk, with the number of MetS requirements present, and with the complete MetS was studied. In young, middle-aged, and senior men and women, there was, in general, a positive association (p < 0.001) between the Dietary Index and the MetS estimates, which persisted in regression models adjusted for sex, age, time since the last meal, intake of cheese, intake of fatty fish, intake of coffee, intake of alcohol, smoking, physical activity, education, and birthplace. Thus, an index reflecting a high intake of soft drinks and a low intake of fruit and vegetables was positively and independently associated with aspects of MetS.

Relationship Between Healthy Diet and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Patients on Drug Therapies for Secondary Prevention

“…Our findings are consistent with several other studies using dietary indexes in major chronic diseases in primary prevention settings 18,19 and are compatible with the few existing studies that assessed the Mediterranean diet, diet quality, and the secondary prevention of CV events, 4,19,20 albeit in single geographic regions. In these studies, multiple mechanisms have been postulated to play a role in the protective effect of a high-quality diet; these include consumption of a broad range of nutrients such as potassium 21 and omega-3 fatty acid 22 and their beneficial effects on CV risk factors, [23][24][25] inflammatory processes, and oxidative stress, although definitive proof for the role of these mechanisms is lacking.…”

Central obesity is associated with lower intake of whole-grain bread and less frequent breakfast and lunch: results from the HUNT study, an adult all-population survey

“…(Also, the consumption of fruits, berries, and vegetables in the whole population was substantially below recommended standards.) The findings in those with central obesity are in line with findings from the population-based Oslo Health Study (Høstmark 2010) and a European prospective study of fruit and vegetable fiber (Du et al 2010), but are not supported in full for vegetables (Lin and Morrison 2002;Moreira and Padrao 2006;Shi et al 2008). Regarding fruits, others report an inverse association with obesity for both sexes (Alinia et al 2009;Halkjaer et al 2009;Lin and Morrison 2002;Romaguera et al 2011), or for women only (Moreira and Padrao 2006).…”

(-)-Epicatechin improves insulin sensitivity in high fat diet-fed mice

“…Indeed, inhibition of fat absorption favors weight loss strategies and improves glycemic control in obese individuals with T2D [7]. On the other hand, consumption of flavonoid-rich fruit and vegetables in humans is associated with the control of risk factors defining MetS [8–11]. The latter has been proposed based on studies in humans and in animals models (reviewed in Ref.…”