ABSTRACT
The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans Adherence Index [DGAI] " was developed based on the adherence to the dietary recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 [DGA-2005] to assess the contribution of dietary patterns to chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of dietary patterns as measured by the modified DGAI with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome [MetS] and its components in Tehranian adolescents. In this cross-sectional study, 706 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, participated from the fourth phase of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Usual dietary intake was assessed using a valid food frequency questionnaire, and the DGAI score was calculated for all participants. MetS was defined according to de Ferranti criteria. The most prevalent risk factor for MetS was high waist circumference [51.8%]. After adjusting for confounding variables, those in the highest quartile category of DGAI had a 36% lower risk of low HDL-C [odds ratio=64%, 95% CI: 0.41-0.98 and P for trend=0.03] and 50% lower risk of hypertension [odds ratio=50%, 95% CI: 0.25-0.99 and P for trend=0.02], compared with the lowest quartile. Increasing adherence to DGAI showed no significant difference in risk of hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, high waist circumference, MetS, mean body mass index [BMI] or physical activity scores. In adolescents, increasing adherence to Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 [DGA-2005] had only an inverse association with low HDL-C and hypertension, but had no relationship with the risk of MetS and its other components