Metabolic syndromes increase significantly with the accumulation of bad dietary habits

Background: The association between dietary habits and metabolic syndrome (MetS) has not been well documented, due to the complexity and individualization of dietary culture in the Chinese population. Objective: To construct a composite score from various bad dietary habits and to evaluate their comprehensive association with the prevalence of MetS and its components among Chinese men and women across various age groups. Setting: Serial cross-sectional studies. Methods: Twenty-three dietary habits were assessed through face-to-face interviews with 98,838 males and 83,099 females in health check-up programs from 2015 to 2021, among which eighteen bad dietary habits were observed to be associated independently with total MetS. The total score of bad dietary habits was composed of four categories via variable clustering analysis, including irregular dietary habits, unhealthy dietary flavors, unbalanced dietary structure, and high-fat diet. The 2016 Chinese guideline for the management of dyslipidemia in adults was used to define MetS. Results: Men had a higher score of bad dietary habits than women (9.63 ± 3.11 vs. 8.37 ± 3.23), which decreased significantly with increasing age in both males and females (Pinteraction