Fruit and Vegetable Intake and the Metabolic Syndrome: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

While consumption of vegetable and fruit are increasingly being recommended to prevent chronic diseases in dietary guidelines, epidemiologic data on the association between vegetable and fruit intakes and the metabolic syndrome is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that higher fruit and vegetable intakes reduce metabolic risk factors in Tehranian adults. In a cross-sectional study, quartiles of vegetables and fruit consumption were determined using the food frequency questionnaire, for 606 subjects, aged 18-74 years. Blood pressure was assessed according to standard methods and fasting blood samples were taken for biochemical measurements. Hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholestrolemia, high LDL, low HDL and metabolic syndrome were defined according to ATP III guidelines. Mean ±SD consumption of starchy vegetables, vegetables and fruit intake was 50.8±49, 304±179 and 211±147 g/day, respectively. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was higher among subjects in lower quartiles of fruits (17.2% in first vs 15.4% in fourth quartile, P<0.05). Those in the higher quartile of vegetable intake had higher intakes of fat (31.7±8 in fourth vs 28.5±9 g/day in first quartile), cholesterol (208±13 in fourth vs 153±12 g/day in first quartile),(P<0.05). Significant differences were seen in mean vegetable and fruit intakes across the 3 risk factor groups (0,1-2 and ≥ 3 risk factors) after adjustments for fat and saturated fat intakes (310±14, 194±17 in individuals with ≥ 3 risk factors vs 364±18, 248±15 g/day in individuals with no risk factors respectively, P<0.05). There was a significant difference in mean fruit intake across the 3 risk factor groups before and after adjustments for fat and saturated fat intakes (P<0.05). Fruit and vegetable intake is inversely associated with the risk of having metabolic syndrome