Daily Intake of Two or More Servings of Vegetables Is Associated with a Lower Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Older People.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to examine the correlation between the recommended consumption of at least two servings (400 g) of vegetables per day and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in an elderly population.

METHODS

This observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted with 264 non-institutionalized people aged 65 to 79 years old. We adhered to the recommended guidelines for vegetable intake from the MEDAS-14 questionnaire, which has been validated for elderly populations at high cardiovascular risk. Diagnoses of MetS were made based on the criteria set forth by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

RESULTS

Among 264 individuals, who had a mean age of 71.9 (SD: 4.2) and comprised 39% men, the prevalence of MetS was 40.2%. A total of 17% of the participants adhered to the recommended vegetable consumption. Consuming the recommended amount of vegetables was correlated with a 19% reduction in the prevalence of MetS, to 24.4% from 43.4% among those with low vegetable consumption ( < 0.05). A main finding was that inadequate vegetable consumption was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of MetS (OR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.06-4.63; = 0.035), considering potential influences by nutritional (consumption of fruit and nuts) and socio-demographic (sex, age, and level of education) covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

A beneficial inverse correlation was identified between the recommended vegetable intake and the prevalence of MetS. In contrast, inadequate vegetable consumption was revealed as an independent variable associated with the prevalence of MetS. Considering the very low adherence to the recommended vegetable intake we observed, encouraging increased vegetable consumption among older individuals, who have a high prevalence of MetS, is advisable.