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Diets of adults with metabolic syndrome in Nordic countries ‘unsatisfactory’
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The dietary quality of adult populations in Nordic countries with metabolic syndrome or at high risk for the metabolic syndrome has been deemed unsatisfactory by researchers there.
The multicenter study was conducted across six centers in four Nordic countries (ie, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden).
A review of the systems biology in controlled dietary interventions and cohort studies (SYSDIET consortium) demonstrated that 29% of adults (n=146; aged 30 to 65 years) with BMI 27 to 38 had elevated triglycerides, 33% had reduced HDL cholesterol, 57% had elevated blood pressure, and 61% had elevated fasting glucose. In addition, 52% of the patients were treated for hypertension and 23% were on blood lipid-lowering medications.
“In fact, >65% of the participants did not meet the recommendations on [saturated fatty acids], [polyunsaturated fatty acids], dietary fiber and sodium,” researchers wrote. “About 20% of the participants had vitamin D intake below [lower intake], possibly putting them at risk for developing diseases attributed to vitamin D deficiencies symptoms.”
Questionnaire data indicate 55% of the patients rated their health as ‘good’ and 44% rated their health as ‘average;’ only one patient described their health as being ‘poor.’
While one-third of the patients met the recommended intake of PUFA, only 20% of men and 26% of women met the recommended intake of dietary fiber. The daily median intake of salt was 8.8 g for men and 6.7 g for women, researchers wrote.
“Health providers should pay special attention to dietary assessments and should adequately educate these risk groups about the potential consequences of their nutritional intake toward the development of [type 2 diabetes] and CVD,” researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The SYSDIET study was one of three projects in the Nordic Centre of Excellence Programme on Food, Nutrition and Health funded by NordForsk for years 2007-2012. See the study for a full list of disclosures.
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