High dietary calcium intake and a lack of dairy consumption are associated with metabolic syndrome in obese males: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010 to 2012

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been increasing rapidly worldwide and is associated with elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality. The relationship between MetS and dietary calcium intake is controversial. We hypothesized that high dietary calcium intake is associated with MetS in males and that the associations vary according to obesity status. Using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V, a cross-sectional survey of Korean civilians was conducted from January 2010 to December 2012 to test these hypotheses. Data from a total of 5946 males were analyzed with no association observed between dietary calcium intake and the presence of MetS. However, males deriving high calcium intake levels from dairy products had a lower prevalence of MetS than did those who did not ingest such products (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.96). In obese males, the highest dietary calcium intake was positively associated with the presence of MetS (adjusted OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.12-2.36). However, obese males who consume dairy products had a lower prevalence of MetS than did those who did not consume such products (adjusted OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.90). In conclusion, the results suggest that the high dietary calcium intake, in the absence of dairy product consumption, was associated with the increased prevalence of MetS in obese males. Additional studies are required to determine whether dietary calcium intake affects the development of MetS.