Dietary Fructose and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Chinese Residents Aged 45 and Above: Results From the China National Nutrition and Health Survey
Abstract Background A growing number of researches supported that dietary fructose was associated with all the key features of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, there was no large epidemiological study among Chinese population although the prevalence of MetS increased sharply. This study explores the relationship between dietary fructose and MetS among Chinese residents aged 45 and above. Methods A total of 25528 participants (11574 males and 13954 females) were included in this nationwide representative cross-sectional study of China National Nutrition and Health Survey. Dietary fructose intake was assessed by 3-day 24-h dietary records. MetS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation and Chinese Diabetes Society criteria. Results The consumption of dietary fructose for urban residents was 11.6 g/day and for rural residents was 7.6 g/day. Fruits and vegetables as well as their products were the main food sources. There was no association between dietary fructose intake and the risk of MetS in both urban (P = 0.315) and rural residents (P = 0.230) after adjustment for confounding factors. Moreover, for urban residents who participating in physical activity, the risk of MetS in the fourth quartiles (OR: 0.67; 95%CI: 0.52–0.86) was reduced compared with the first quartile. In the sensitivity analysis, the risk of MetS was also found a significant reduction in the fourth quartiles (OR, 95%CI: 0.67, 0.51–0.89; 0.63, 0.46–0.85; 0.74, 0.56–0.98) compared with the first quartile when excluding smokers, alcohol users, and underweight/obesity, respectively. And there was no association between dietary fructose intake and the risk of MetS after multivariate adjustment stratified by gender, smoking and alcohol use. Conclusions Under the current dietary fructose intake status, there was no association between dietary fructose intake and the risk of MetS among Chinese residents aged 45 and above. Physical activity and relatively low fructose intake may have a beneficial synergistic effect on MetS.