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Epidemiology

Adherence to Healthy Eating Index-2010 is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome and its features among Iranian adult women

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Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Nowadays, metabolic syndrome (MetS) is deemed as a major public health challenge in both developed and developing countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the association between Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) score and MetS and its features among Iranian female nurses.

Subjects/Methods:

This cross-sectional study was performed among 1036 Iranian women. A validated, self-administered, dish-based, semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the habitual intake of participants. HEI-2010 score was used to assess diet quality of participants. MetS was defined based on the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III). Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders was used to assess the relation between HEI-2010 and MetS.

Results:

After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the highest quartile of HEI-2010 had the lowest risk of MetS compared with those in the first quartile (odds ratio: 0.72; 95% confidence interval: 0.50–0.96). Furthermore, the risk of MetS features including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high serum triacylglycerol and low serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol significantly decreased across HEI-2010 quartiles (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

Higher HEI-2010 scores were inversely associated with lower risk of MetS and its components among Iranian women.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Board of Directors of Isfahan Nursing Organization for their great cooperation in conducting this study. We gratefully thank the staff of the selected hospitals who took part in the present study. The study is supported by Food Security Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran in conjunction with Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran. The financial support for conception, design, data analysis and manuscript drafting comes from Food Security Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. The Food Security Research Center had no contribution in the design, conducting, writing, analysis and final approval of the present manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Security Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    S Saraf-Bank, F Haghighatdoost, A Esmaillzadeh & L Azadbakht

  2. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    S Saraf-Bank, F Haghighatdoost, A Esmaillzadeh & L Azadbakht

  3. Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular-Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    A Esmaillzadeh

  4. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    A Esmaillzadeh & L Azadbakht

  5. Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    B Larijani

  6. Diabetes Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    L Azadbakht

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  1. S Saraf-Bank
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Correspondence to L Azadbakht.

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Saraf-Bank, S., Haghighatdoost, F., Esmaillzadeh, A. et al. Adherence to Healthy Eating Index-2010 is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome and its features among Iranian adult women. Eur J Clin Nutr 71, 425–430 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.173

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