Table 1 Baseline characteristics of participants according to the development of the metabolic syndrome
| Â | MetS status at follow-up | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
MetS (n = 291) | Non-MetS (n = 1334) | ||
Baseline demographic and biochemical data | |||
 Age (year) | 45.5 ± 12.1 | 35.7 ± 13.0 |  < 0.001 |
 Male, % | 40.0 | 47.1 | 0.025 |
 Body mass index (Kg/m2) | 29.3 ± 4.4 | 24.9 ± 4.0 |  < 0.001 |
 Waist circumference (cm) | 94.9 ± 10.5 | 83.8 ± 11.9 |  < 0.001 |
 Physical Activity (MET.min/wk) | 68.4 (31.8–104.2) | 72.9 (34.7–107.2) | 0.177 |
 Academic education (graduated), n (%) | 18.6 | 27.9 | 0.001 |
 Employed, (%) | 85.6 | 81.4 | 0.096 |
 Smoking, (%) | 8.7 | 13.0 | 0.044 |
 Fasting blood sugar (mg/dl) | 91.1 ± 18.2 | 85.0 ± 8.8 |  < 0.001 |
 2-h postprandial blood sugar | 106.2 ± 22.5 | 90.0 ± 40.5 |  < 0.001 |
 Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 127.5 ± 62.1 | 115.4 ± 66.2 | 0.002 |
 Low density lipoprotein- Cholesterol (mg/dl) | 121.4 ± 30.9 | 109 ± 32.1 |  < 0.001 |
 High density lipoprotein- Cholesterol (mg/dl) | 44.2 ± 9.2 | 44.0 ± 10.4 | 0.718 |
 TGs:HDL-C ratio | 3.06 ± 1.91 | 2.92 ± 2.30 | 0.334 |
 Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 116.1 ± 15.4 | 106.4 ± 13.0 |  < 0.001 |
 Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 76.4 ± 9.1 | 70.2 ± 9.2 |  < 0.001 |
 Anti-diabetic medications (%) | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.013 |
 Anti-lipid medications (%) | 3.4 | 2.3 | 0.064 |
 Antihypertensive medications (%) | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.012 |
 Corticoestroeids medications (%) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.669 |
Dietary intakes | |||
 Energy (Kcal/d) | 2284 ± 708 | 2191 ± 707 | 0.043 |
 Carbohydrate (g/day) | 314.2 ± 115.8 | 302.9 ± 112.6 | 0.131 |
 Protein (g/day) | 77.3 ± 26.5 | 74.3 ± 26.0 | 0.066 |
 Fat (g/day) | 80.0 ± 31.3 | 75.8 ± 28.3 | 0.033 |
 Saturated fatty acids (g/1000 kcal) | 11.9 ± 6.7 | 11.3 ± 3.1 | 0.027 |
 Monounsaturated fatty acids (g/1000 kcal) | 12.2 ± 3.3 | 12.1 ± 3.1 | 0.994 |
 Poly unsaturated fatty acids (g/1000 kcal) | 7.2 ± 2.5 | 7.7 ± 2.5 | 0.124 |
 Dietary fibers (g/1000 kcal) | 16.2 ± 6.5 | 18.2 ± 7.3 | 0.013 |
 Simple sugar (mg/1000 kcal) | 52.6 ± 14.4 | 53.4 ± 14.6 | 0.438 |
 Calcium (mg/1000 kcal) | 538.0 ± 163.5 | 550.1 ± 182.5 | 0.263 |
 Potassium (mg/ 1000 kcal) | 1631.1 ± 417.2 | 1673.8 ± 471.5 | 0.123 |
 Magnesium (mg/1000 kcal) | 163.8 ± 32.4 | 179.0 ± 38.9 | 0.038 |
 Sodium (mg/1000 kcal) | 1994 ± 1420 | 1980 ± 1227 | 0.878 |