Association of Dietary Intakes of Total Polyphenol and Its Subclasses with the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the longitudinal association of total polyphenol and its main four subclasses intake with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components.

METHODS

The present prospective study was conducted on 1265 Tehranian adults, aged 19-74 years. Usual dietary intake was evaluated using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. MetS was defined using NCEP ATP III guidelines. Intakes of total polyphenol and its four main subclasses, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes, and lignans, were estimated using Phenol-Explorer database.

RESULTS

Median (interquartile range [IQR]) of total polyphenol intake and its subclasses, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans, and stilbenes, was 1422 (967-2137), 69.5 (45.5-99.8), 75.7 (52.2-115), 3.8 (1.9-6.9), and 0.2 (0.1-0.5) mg/day, respectively. After adjustment for confounding factors, participants in the highest tertile of flavonoid intake had 31% lower risk of developing MetS (odds ratio [OR] 0.69; 95% CI 0.48-0.98) and 36% lower risk of hypertriglyceridemia (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.48-0.99) during 6 years of follow-up. Total polyphenol intake and other subclasses of polyphenol were not associated with MetS and its components.

CONCLUSION

Higher intake of flavonoids was inversely associated with risk of developing MetS and hypertriglyceridemia in a Tehranian population.