Habitual dietary methyl donor's intake and metabolic profile in obese individuals: a cross-sectional study

Considering the role of dietary methyl donor (DMD) in numerous biochemical processes, we hypothesized that DMD could play an important role in metabolic syndrome such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and appetite in obese individuals. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 335 obese people. We collected dietary data using a valid and reliable 147-question Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Multivariate multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between dietary methyl intake and cardio-metabolic risk factors. After adjusting for confounding variables, individuals at the fourth and third quartile of DMD, were more likely to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (OR = 0.968, CI = 0.943-0.994, P = 0.015 and OR = 0.978, CI = 0.957-0.998, P = 0.03 respectively) versus first quartile. Also, total cholesterol (TC) showed a significant decrease in forth quartile of DMD in model III (OR = 0.974, CI = 0.951-0.997, P = 0.029). Current results suggested that, high DMDs' consumption, significantly associated with decreased risk of cardiometabolic risk factors.