The association of dietary acid load with metabolic syndrome: A cross-sectional study

Acid-base status, which can be affected by dietary acid load, has been related to risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MetS). In the current study, we investigated the association between dietary acid load and metabolic syndrome among children and adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 participants, aged 8-18 years old. The dietary intake of participants was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and the potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores were calculated. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk of metabolic syndrome according to the PRAL and NEAP quartile categories. The mean age of the participants was 12.9±2.5 years old. Mean PRAL and NEAP scores were -4.23 and -19.70 mEq/day, respectively. In this study, the potential confounders including age, sex, BMI, and total energy, were adjusted in the multivariable-adjusted model. By using logistic regression, no significant association was observed between PEAL and NEAP with metabolic syndrome (OR= 0.98, 95% CI: 0.55-1.55, p-value=0.775 and OR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.49-1.39, p-value=0.418, respectively), after adjustment for potential confounders. Longitudinal studies should be conducted to evaluate the association between PRAL and NEAP with metabolic syndrome in children.