Parvin Mirmiran, Zahra Bahadoran, Firoozeh Hosseini-Esfahani, Fereidoun Azizi,
Volume 13, Issue 2 (1-2014)
Abstract
Background: There are growing concern globally regarding fast food consumption and its
related cardiometabolic outcomes. In this study we investigated whether fast food
consumption could affect the occurrence of metabolic syndrome after 3-years of follow-up in
adults or not.
Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in the framework of Tehran Lipid and
Glucose Study on 1476 adults, aged 19-70 years old. The usual intakes of participants were
measured using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire at baseline.
Biochemical and anthropometric measurements were assessed at baseline (2006-2008) and 3
years later (2009-2011). Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the
incidence of the MetS in each quartile of fast food consumption.
Results: The mean age of participants was 37.8±12.3 years old, and the mean BMI was
26.0±4.5 kg/m2
at baseline. Participants in the highest quartile of fast food consumption were
significantly younger (33.7 vs. 43.4 years, P <0.01). Higher consumption of fast food was
accompanied with more increment in serum triglyceride levels after the 3-year follow-up
(10.6±2.3 vs. 4.4±2.3 percent in the fourth and first quartile, respectively, P<0.01). After
adjustment for all of the potential confounding variables, the risk of metabolic syndrome, in
the highest quartile of fast foods compared with the lowest, was 1.85 (95% CI= 1.17-2.95).
Conclusion: We demonstrated that higher consumption of fast foods had undesirable effects
on metabolic syndrome after 3-years of follow-up in Iranian adults.
