Childhood Nutrition in Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in Adults: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study
Diabetes Care, 08/08/2012
Clinical Article
Jaaskelainen P et al. – Childhood vegetable consumption frequency is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adulthood. The findings suggest that a higher intake of vegetables in childhood may have a protective effect on MetS in adulthood.
Methods- The study cohort consisted of 2,128 individuals, 3–18 years of age at the baseline, with a follow–up time of 27 years.
- The authors used the average of lifestyle factor measurements taken in 1980, 1983, and 1986 in the analyses.
- Childhood dietary factors and physical activity were assessed by self–reported questionnaires, and a harmonized definition of MetS was used as the adult outcome.
- Childhood vegetable consumption frequency was inversely associated with adult MetS (odds ratio [OR] 0.86 [95% CI 0.77–0.97], P = 0.02) in a multivariable analysis adjusted with age, sex, childhood metabolic risk factors (lipids, systolic blood pressure, insulin, BMI, and C–reactive protein), family history of type 2 diabetes and hypertension, and socioeconomic status.
- The association remained even after adjustment for adulthood vegetable consumption.
- Associations with the other childhood lifestyle factors were not found.
- Of the individual components of MetS, decreased frequency of childhood vegetable consumption predicted high blood pressure (0.88 [0.80–0.98], P = 0.01) and a high triglyceride value (0.88 [0.79–0.99], P = 0.03) after adjustment for the above–mentioned risk factors.
