Dietary diversity and the risk of metabolic syndrome in a Japanese population: An analysis of baseline cross-sectional data from the J-MICC study

Background: With the increasing burden of metabolic syndrome, it is crucial to focus on lifestyle interventions to reduce the risk. Diet is a modifiable factor that can reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome. Methods: We examined the association between the dietary diversity score (DDS) and risk of metabolic syndrome using baseline data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) study. In total, 75,332 participants were included in this study. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the association between the DDS and metabolic syndrome. Results: Inverse associations were observed between a high DDS and metabolic syndrome (adjusted odds ratio, 0.83 [95% confidential interval 0.76-0.92]). Likewise, a high DDS was associated with reduced odds of a high body mass index and hypertension. No significant associations were observed between the DDS and serum triglyceride, fasting blood glucose, or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol values. Conclusion: To reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, public health interventions should focus on promoting a diverse and balanced diet. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research for Priority Areas of Cancer (No.17015018), Innovative Areas (No.221S0001), and Platform of Supporting Cohort Study and Biospecimen Analysis (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [JSPS] KAKENHI Grants No.16H06277 and 22H04923 [CoBiA]) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Not Applicable The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the Aichi Cancer Center and each study site. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Not Applicable I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Not Applicable I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Not Applicable The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available.