Snack consumption patterns and their associations with risk of incident metabolic syndrome: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

Aim: Few studies considered the association between snack patterns and metabolic abnormalities. Here we aimed to characterize the major snack patterns among Iranian adults and determine their association with the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components. Methods: : This study was conducted on 1713 MetS-free adults who participated in the third phase of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). At baseline, dietary intake of snack was assessed using a validated 168-items food frequency questionnaire, and snack patterns were obtained by principal component analysis (PCA). Adjusted Hazard Ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the association of incident MetS and its components with the extracted snack patterns. Results: : PCA identified five major snack patterns, defined as "healthy pattern", "low-fructose pattern", "high-trans pattern", "high-caffeine pattern" and "high-fructose pattern". Participants in the highest tertile of the "high-caffeine pattern" had lower risks of MetS (HR=0.80, 95% CI=0.65-0.99) and hypertriglyceridemia (HR=0.76, 95% CI=0.63-0.92). The risk of developing abdominal obesity and hypertension decreased by 27% and 24%, respectively, in the highest compared to the lowest tertile of the "low-fructose pattern" (HR=0.73, 95% CI=0.61-0.88 and HR=0.76, 95% CI=0.58-0.99, respectively). Other snack patterns have not shown any significant association with MetS and its components. Conclusions: : " High-caffeine pattern" was associated with lower risks of MetS and hypertriglyceridemia. In addition, greater adherence to a "low-fructose pattern" resulted in reduced abdominal obesity and hypertension risks.