The purpose of this study was to compare nutrient intake, health-related factors, and risk factors for metabolic syndrome and to investigate the prevalence odds ratio according to fruit and vegetable intake among middle-aged Korean men. Subjects included 1,677 men aged 40–64 years. The average intake of fruits and vegetables was 578.48±5.90 g/day. Forty-nine percent of the subjects were categorized into the deficient group based on the intake of fruits and vegetables, and the other subjects were categorized into the adequate group. There was a significant difference in the nutrient density per 1,000 kcal of energy, minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber between the fruit and vegetable intake groups (p<0.001). In terms of health-related factors, only the current smoking rate in the deficient group (57.9%) was higher than that in the adequate group (45.4%) (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the risk factors for metabolic syndrome between the fruit and vegetable intake groups. Proportion of serum triglycerides (42.6%) was the highest at a rate that exceeded the criteria for risk factors for metabolic syndrome, but systolic blood pressure (21.7%) showed a very low rate. The fasting blood glucose, serum triglycerides, and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in the deficient group than in the adequate group (p<0.05). Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 31.2%. OR for prevalence of metabolic syndrome related to fruit and vegetable intake was 1.270 times higher in the deficient group than in the adequate group (p<0.05). Also, when the daily fruit intake was increased by 100 g, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was reduced by 0.948 times but it was not related to the vegetable intake. The results of this study can be used as the basic data to establish the guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake for prevention of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged men.

• 허은실(창신대학교 식품영양학과) | Eun-Sil Her (Dept. of Food and Nutrition, Changshin University, Changwon 51352, Korea) Corresponding author