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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1451220
This article is part of the Research Topic Objective Dietary Assessment in Nutrition Epidemiology Studies - Volume II View all 11 articles

Low Dietary Magnesium and Fiber Intakes among Women with Metabolic Syndrome in Kuwait

Provisionally accepted
Dalal U. Alkazemi Dalal U. Alkazemi 1*Tasleem Zafar Tasleem Zafar 1Nourah Y. Alsouri Nourah Y. Alsouri 1Abeer A. Aljahdali Abeer A. Aljahdali 2Stan Kubow Stan Kubow 3
  • 1 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait
  • 2 King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  • 3 McGill University, Macdonald Campus, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a growing health concern among Kuwaiti women. Dietary magnesium and fiber have been implicated in reducing the risk of MetS; however, their specific effects on this population remain underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association of dietary magnesium and fiber intake with the prevalence of MetS and its components among women in Kuwait. Methods: This study included 170 women aged 18-65 (years) recruited from AL-Adan Hospital, Mubarak Hospital, and Riqqa Polyclinic. Data were collected using a modified Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ) to assess dietary intake, and biochemical measurements were performed to evaluate serum magnesium and other metabolic markers. MetS was diagnosed according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U-tests, chisquare tests, Spearman correlations, logistic and linear regression models, and Cohen's kappa statistics. Results: The prevalence of MetS was 24% and 18% based on the IDF and ATP III criteria, respectively. Women with MetS had significantly lower dietary magnesium and fiber intakes than those in women without MetS (P < 0.001). A strong positive correlation was found among dietary magnesium intake, fiber intake, and serum magnesium levels (r = 0.957, P < 0.001 for magnesium; r = 0.917, P < 0.001 for fiber). Increased dietary magnesium and fiber intakes were linked to reduced odds of developing MetS and its components, except for blood pressure measurements. Cohen's kappa demonstrated a strong agreement (K = 0.70, P < 0.001) between dietary and serum magnesium inadequacy. Conclusion: Increased dietary intakes of magnesium and fiber are associated with reduced odds of developing MetS among Kuwaiti women. These findings support the promotion of magnesium-and fiber-rich diets as preventive strategies against MetS.

    Keywords: metabolic syndrome, dietary magnesium, Dietary Fiber, Kuwait, Women, Nutritional epidemiology

    Received: 18 Jun 2024; Accepted: 01 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alkazemi, Zafar, Alsouri, Aljahdali and Kubow. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dalal U. Alkazemi, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, 13060, Kuwait

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