Milk intake and its association with metabolic syndrome in Korean: Analysis of the third Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (KNHANES III)

Although previous studies have shown that milk intake has some protective effects on metabolic syndrome (MS), there are few data on the relation between MS and milk consumption in Korean. To evaluate the association between milk intake frequency and MS, 4,890 subjects (2,052 men and 2,838 women) were included in the analysis, based on the national data from representative random sample of the third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES III) in 2005. We conducted both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustment for confounding factors associated with MS. Mean (±SD) age of subjects was 47.1±15.5 yr. In univariate analysis, the risk of MS was inversely associated with the frequency of milk intake, but this relation was attenuated in multivariate regression. In the individuals with BMI ≥23 kg/m², those with highest quartile of milk consumption (once daily or more) had significantly lower risk of MS (OR [95% CI] 0.72 [0.57-0.92] compared with lowest quartile [those rarely consumed]) after adjustment, but not among leaner individuals (BMI <23 kg/m²). Korean overweight adults who drink milk more frequently may be protected against MS. But it seems that this relation is somewhat different among MS components.