Written by Chrystal Moulton, Science Writer. Statistical analysis showed a significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in participants that consumed less than 2 servings of vegetables a day.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of chronic disorders that if not managed appropriately could lead to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases¹. The cluster of chronic conditions which make up metabolic syndrome are hyperglycemia, abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL-C². Taking steps early to manage these conditions can be very beneficial to quality of life long-term. Dietary habits are essential to preventing chronic disease and improving risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome^3,4. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of high vegetable consumption^5-7 and the effects of low vegetable consumption on the risk of metabolic syndrome⁸.  In current trial, researchers investigated the relationship between the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in older adults and adherence to a diet regimen requiring at least 400g of vegetables per day⁹.

The current study was an observational trial consisting of participants between 65-79 years old from four physician groups in Cantabria (Spain). Participants were excluded if they showed signs of cognitive or mental decline and were unable to hold themselves up. Socio-demographic data was collected from each volunteer and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria was used to diagnose metabolic syndrome. The presence of two or more of these conditions constituted a positive diagnosis for metabolic syndrome:

• Fasting hyperglycemia – (≥100mg/dL or previous T2DM diagnosis or treatment)
• Arterial hypertension – (130/85 mmHg or previous treatment for hypertension)
• Low HDL-C – (<40 mg/dL [men] or <50mg/dL [women] or currently being treated)
• Hypertriglyceridemia – (≥150 mg/dL or currently being treated)

The MEDAS-14 questionnaire was used to determine each participants’ level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet. This questionnaire was primarily used to capture data on the consumption of raw vegetables. Cantabrian Health Service medical cards were used to assess blood chemistry and prescription data over the past year. Logistical regression analysis was used to determine any relationship between vegetable consumption and metabolic syndrome diagnosis.

Of 551 eligible participants, 264 were included in this analysis (39% men and 61% women). There was no significant difference in socio-demographic characteristics or parameters of metabolic syndrome among participants. Level of adherence to consumption of 2 or more servings of veggies a day was 17%. Average abdominal obesity was 78.8% with no significance between male and female participants and prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 40.2%. Among parameters of metabolic syndrome, arterial hypertension was the most prevalent at 79.5% followed by hyperglycemia at 31.8%. Furthermore, there was a 66% higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome among male participants (OR= 1.66, P = 0.049). Statistical analysis showed a significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome in participants that consumed less than 2 servings of vegetables a day (>2 servings of veggies: 24.4% vs. <2 servings of veggies: 43.4%). Based on the MEDAS-14 questionnaire, researchers found that consumption of nuts (P = 0.007) and vegetables (P = 0.021) were significantly associated with metabolic syndrome. Logistical regression model showed that consumption of less than 2 servings of vegetables more than doubled the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 2.21, P = 0.035) and less than 3 servings of nuts significantly increased the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.95, P = 0.013).

Overall, the study showed that a diet low in vegetable and nuts could significantly increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome among the elderly. Alternatively, study suggests that recommended daily consumption could lower the risk of metabolic syndrome among the elderly population. Additional studies will be needed to verify these results.

Source: Cubas-Basterrechea, Gloria, Iñaki Elío, Carolina González Antón, and Pedro Muñoz Cacho. “Daily Intake of Two or More Servings of Vegetables Is Associated with a Lower Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Older People.” Nutrients 16, no. 23 (2024): 4101.

© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted January 17, 2025.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

References:

1. Wang HH, Lee DK, Liu M, Portincasa P, Wang DQ. Novel Insights into the Pathogenesis and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr. May 2020;23(3):189-230. doi:10.5223/pghn.2020.23.3.189
2. International Diabetes Federation I. The IDF consensus worldwide definition of the metabolic syndrome. IDF Communications. 2006:1-24.
3. Babio N, Bulló M, Basora J, et al. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risk of metabolic syndrome and its components. Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD. Oct 2009;19(8):563-70. doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2008.10.007
4. Angelico F, Baratta F, Coronati M, Ferro D, Del Ben M. Diet and metabolic syndrome: a narrative review. Intern Emerg Med. Jun 2023;18(4):1007-1017. doi:10.1007/s11739-023-03226-7
5. Gai Z, Hu S, Gong G, Zhao J. Recent advances in understanding dietary polyphenols protecting against hypertension. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 2023;
6. Lee DPS, Low JHM, Chen JR, Zimmermann D, Actis-Goretta L, Kim JE. The Influence of Different Foods and Food Ingredients on Acute Postprandial Triglyceride Response: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md). Nov 16 2020;11(6):1529-1543. doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa074
7. Nguyen HD, Oh H, Kim MS. Higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, and multiple individual nutrients is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome among adults with comorbidities. Nutrition research (New York, NY). Mar 2022;99:1-12. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2021.11.004
8. Kityo A, Kaggwa A. Fruit and Vegetable Intake, and Metabolic Syndrome Components: The Uganda NCD Risk Factor Survey. Biol. s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published …; 2022:18.
9. Cubas-Basterrechea G, Elío I, González Antón C, Muñoz Cacho P. Daily Intake of Two or More Servings of Vegetables Is Associated with a Lower Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Older People. Nutrients. Nov 28 2024;16(23)doi:10.3390/nu16234101