Possible protective effect of bread and dairy products on the risk of the metabolic syndrome

Several studies suggest that markers of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome (the cluster of cardiovascular risk factors with insulin resistance) are related to the dietary intakes. Most of these investigations were focused on nutrient intake. We examined whether specific types of food were associated with the presence of the metabolic syndrome. Habitual intake of meat, fish, bread and dairy products was assessed in 2537 women and 2439 men by a food frequency questionnaire. The metabolic syndrome was defined by the presence of at least two of the following factors in the upper (or lower in the case of HDL cholesterol) sex-specific quartile: fasting glucose, serum triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure. There was no association between the intake of meat or fish and the metabolic syndrome. Bread and dairy intake were both inversely related to the frequency of the metabolic syndrome in men, but not in women. Men who ate more than 50 g of bread per day or more than 1 portion of dairy products per day had at least a 40% lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome. In conclusion the results of our study suggest that in men, a high consumption of bread or dairy products may be related to the risk of the metabolic syndrome. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.