Dietary patterns, instant noodles intake, and cardiometabolic risk factors

To find the relationship between dietary patterns, instant noodles and cardiometabolic risk, we analyzed 10,711 adults (females 54.5%) between 19–64 years of age in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination cross‐sectional Survey (KNHANES) IV 2007–2009. A “meat and fast food pattern”(MP) rich in intakes of meat, soda, fried food, and fast food including instant noodles and a “traditional pattern”(TP) rich in intakes of fruit, vegetables, and fish were identified with principal component analysis. The highest MP quintile was associated with higher odds for abdominal obesity(OR:1.41, 95% CI 1.05–1.90), LDL≥130mg/dL(OR:1.57, 95% CI 1.26–1.95), lower odds for low HDL(OR:0.64, 95% CI 0.52–0.78), and TG≥150mg/dL(OR:0.73, 95% CI 0.57–0.93), but was not associated with metabolic syndrome. The highest TP quintile was associated with lower odds for elevated blood pressure(OR:0.73, 95% CI 0.59–0.90), marginally lower trends of abdominal obesity(p trend 0.055) and in males, was associated with lower trend of metabolic syndrome (p trend 0.049). Two or more servings/week consumption of instant noodles was associated with a higher odds for metabolic syndrome (OR:1.68, 95% CI 1.10–2.55)in females, but not in males(p for interaction 0.04). In conclusion, instant noodles were associated with metabolic syndrome independent of major dietary patterns especially in females.