The global diet quality score in children and adolescents and incidence of metabolic syndrome in later years of life - Tehran lipid and glucose study

Q: What is the purpose of this study regarding the global diet quality score?

To evaluate the association between GDQS in children and adolescents and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its risk factors in later years of life.

Q: How were diet quality and MetS defined in the analysis?

Diet quality was computed using the GDQS based on semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire data. MetS was defined using Cook’s criteria for participants aged <19 and the Iranian-modified National Cholesterol Education Program for those aged ≥19.

Q: What overall relationship did the study find between GDQS and MetS outcomes?

Higher compliance with GDQS was associated with a reduced risk of MetS and incidence of several risk factors in later years of life.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

Background evaluates whether the global diet quality score (GDQS) in children and adolescents predicts later incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and associated risk factors in youth. Methods conduct a secondary analysis of 1144 participants aged 6–19 from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, using semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires to compute diet quality. MetS definitions follow Cook’s criteria for <19 and the Iranian-modified National Cholesterol Education Program for ≥19. Results report inverse associations of higher GDQS quartiles with MetS incidence and specific components.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages10

Reading Time25 min

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Abstract

Background

Methods

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Hosseini-Esfahani etal. Nutrition & Metabolism (2026) 23:5 Nutrition & Metabolism [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-025-01029-5](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-025-01029-5) RESEARCH Open Access The global diet quality score in children and adolescents and incidence of metabolic syndrome in later years of life: Tehran lipid and glucose study Firoozeh Hosseini-Esfahani 1, Glareh Koochakpoor2, Mitra Hasheminia3, Maryam Rafiei 1, Parvin Mirmiran 1* and Fereidoun Azizi4 Abstract Background To evaluate the association between the global diet quality score (GDQS) in children and adolescents and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its risk factors in youth. Methods In this secondary analysis, 1144 children and adolescents aged 6–19 years were selected from participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study and followed. Dietary data were gathered by a valid and reliable semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Diet quality was computed using the GDQS. MetS was defined according to Cook ’s criteria for participants aged < 19 years and the Iranian-modified National Cholesterol Education Program was used to define MetS for participants aged ≥ 19 years at baseline and follow-up years. Results The mean ± SD ages of 528 boys and 616 girls were 13.0 ± 3.76 and 14.0 ± 3. 77, respectively. The incident cases of MetS included 108 and 51 person/years for males and females, respectively, with a median follow-up of 9.74 years. The MetS incidence was contrarily associated with quartiles of GDQS [HR: 1, 0.92 (0 .77–1. 09), 0. 90(0 .75– 1. 08), 0 . 77(0 .63–0. 95), P trend = 0 . 02] . There were inverse associations between GDQS and abdominal obesity [HR: 1, 0 . 86(0 .70–1. 04), 0 . 82(0 .67–1. 01), 0 . 75(0 .60–0. 94) P trend = 0 . 01], low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HR: 1, 0. 85(0 .70–1. 02), 0 . 82(0 .67–0. 99), 0 . 74(0 .60–0. 92) P trend = 0 . 009], high blood pressure [HR: 1, 0 . 97(0 .82–1. 15), 0. 99(0 .82– 1. 18), 0 . 78(0 .64–0. 95) P trend = 0 . 02] incidence in the adjusted model. Individuals in the fourth quartile of GDQS have about 35% lower risk of high fasting blood glucose and high triglyceride incidence, compared to the first quartile. Conclusion Higher compliance with the GDQS in children and adolescents was associated with a reduced risk of MetS and its risk factors incidence in later years of life. Keywords Global diet quality score, Children, Adolescents, Metabolic syndrome, Youth *Correspondence: Parvin Mirmiran [parvin.mirmiran@sbmu.ac.ir](parvin.mirmiran@sbmu.ac.ir); [parvin.mirmiran@gmail.com](parvin.mirmiran@gmail.com) 1Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine disorders, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran 3Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine disorders, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and yo

FAQs

What is the purpose of this study regarding the global diet quality score?

To evaluate the association between GDQS in children and adolescents and the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its risk factors in later years of life.

How were diet quality and MetS defined in the analysis?

Diet quality was computed using the GDQS based on semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire data. MetS was defined using Cook’s criteria for participants aged <19 and the Iranian-modified National Cholesterol Education Program for those aged ≥19.

What overall relationship did the study find between GDQS and MetS outcomes?

Higher compliance with GDQS was associated with a reduced risk of MetS and incidence of several risk factors in later years of life.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy