Individuals with metabolic syndrome tend to
consume a diet that is less consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. Get
your customized food guide at MyPyramid.gov.
|
|
Dietary Guidelines Associated With Lower Risk of
Metabolic Syndrome
By Rosalie Marion
Bliss
March 18, 2008 Based on a close look at the everyday
eating habits of a large group of men and women, researchers have found that
people whose diets were most similar to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans (DGAs) were
least likely to have metabolic syndrome. For the study, metabolic syndrome was
defined as a condition occurring among people who have at least three of the
following health risks: abdominal obesity, poor blood sugar control, high blood
fats, low levels of HDL "good" cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
This dietary pattern research study was funded in part by the Agricultural
Research Service (ARS), the chief
scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The lead co-author on the study was epidemiologist
Paul
Jacques with the
Jean
Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at
Tufts University in Boston, Mass. He and
colleagues published the findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
A cause-and-effect relationship could not be shown between a healthier diet
and lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome in this study, according to authors.
But among the diet and health indicators of the more than 3,000 participants
studied, the researchers found that those individuals with metabolic syndrome
tended to consume a diet that was less consistent with the 2005 DGAs.
The sixth version of the DGAs, released early in 2005, is a departure from
previous editions in that it emphasizes balancing calories and physical
activity for weight management, stresses nutrient density, and recommends
limiting trans fat intake, increasing whole grain and low-fat milk or
milk-product intake, and consuming a greater variety of fruits and vegetables.
Read more about ARS research and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
in the March 2008
issue of Agricultural Research magazine.