Effect of lifestyle on metabolic syndrome in Turkish children and adolescents

Objective: The study aimed to determine the effect of lifestyle factors such as diets and physical activity on metabolic syndrome in children. Methodology: Four hundred individuals aged 6 to 18 participated in the study. Waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting insulin and glucose levels of children were measured. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria was used in defining metabolic syndrome in children. Three-day nutrition consumption record and a food consumption frequency questionnaire was applied in order to determine the food habits. Results: Incidence of metabolic syndrome in the sample population was found to be 1.8%. It was observed to be significantly lower in the group where triglyceride level, one of the components of metabolic syndrome, is 35% of the rate of energy originating from fat in comparison with the group with a level of 25-35% (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between dietary fructose with high blood triglycerides and calcium intake and abdominal obesity. It was found out that fasting insulin averages and waist circumferences of individuals who use computers and watch TV for 4 hours or more everyday were significantly higher than those who spend less time with computers or TV (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These results indicated that diets and physical activities affect metabolic syndrome components in children. Conducting long-term and multi-directional studies will definitely be very helpful to have a better understanding of the effect of diets and their components on metabolic syndrome.