Breakfast consumption is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome in a sample of Iranian adults

Background: Central obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension are the core components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) which is coincident with unhealthy dietary habits in the Middle-Eastern countries. The aim of this study was to explore the association between dietary habits and metabolic syndrome of adult population living in Yazd Greater Area, Iran. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which uses the data of a population-based cohort study on Iranian adults, known as Yazd Health Study (YaHS). The relationship between dietary habits and metabolic syndrome among adults (n= 2896) were analyzed using multiple logistic regression method. Results: Outcomes from logistic regression examining show that breakfast consumption has a significant inverse effect on the occurrence of metabolic syndrome after adjustment for age, education level, physical activity statue, history of chronic diseases and smoking (odds ratio (OR)= 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI)= 0.14, 0.97). This effect remains significant even after adjustment for body mass index (BMI) and reveals that odds of having MetS is 69 % lower in breakfast consumers in contrast to non-consumers (OR=0.31, 95% CI= 0.11, 0.87). However, no significant relationship was observed between other dietary habits and MetS after adjustment for all potential confounders Conclusions: This study revealed that eating breakfast has an inverse relationship with metabolic syndrome. Finding out stronger evidence in relation between dietary habits and metabolic syndrome, more researches especially population-based cohort studies are needed to be conducted.