Title:

Is low dairy intake among college students impacting risk of metabolic syndrome?

Objective To examine the relationship between dairy consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria in college students. Methods CHANAS is an ongoing, cross-sectional study at a northeastern university. College students (18-24 years) enrolled in an introductory nutrition course (n=5810) undergo a health risk screening, including the 5 components of MetS. MetS is defined as having ≥ 3 of the following: large waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and/or elevated blood glucose. Dairy consumption was self-reported via 3-day food record; daily average was analyzed via computer software (DietWellness+). Dairy was categorized into five groups: <1, 1–<2, 2–<3, 3-<4 and ≥4 cups/2000 kcals. Group differences of MetS criteria were analyzed using ANCOVA, adjusting for gender, academic year, and BMI. Results In the study population,55.1% meet ≥ 1 risk factor of MetS while only 4.7% of students met ≥ 3 MetS criteria. More than three-quarters (79.3%) of students fell below the recommended 3 cups of dairy/2000 kcal. Mean milk intake was 2.81.9 and 1.91.3 cups/day for men and women, respectively. No associations between dairy intake groups and MetS criteria were observed (all p>.05). Of note,36.7% of men and 11.7% of women had elevated blood pressure and 26.8% of men and 24.9% of women had low HDL cholesterol. Conclusion MetS is a cluster of risk factors that increase risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. While prevalence is higher in older adults, our findings suggest college students may have at least one risk factor and may be at increased risk of developing MetS later in life. Although dairy did not prove to have an association with MetS criteria, further research in this population could help provide dietary recommendations for college students to mitigate disease risk. Funding Source NH Agriculture Experiment Station and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738.

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