Fast food consumption and the risk of metabolic syndrome after 3-years of follow-up: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

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 (MetS) after 3-years of follow-up in adults. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in the framework of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study on 1476 adults, aged 19–70 y. 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 occurrence of the MetS in each quartile of fast food consumption. Results: The mean age of participants was 37.8±12.3 y, and mean BMI was 26.0±4.5 kg/m 2 at baseline. Participants in the highest quartile of fast food consumption were younger (33.7 vs 43.4 years, P