Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet Pattern and Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence Among U.S. Young Adults: Cross‐Sectional Study From the NHANES 2011–2018

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of interrelated risk factors associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and Diabetes Mellitus. The United States (U.S.) prevalence of MetS is rising, with concerning trends among young adults necessitating updated prevalence estimates of MetS using the most recent MetS criteria. This study describes MetS prevalence and its association with Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet patterns among U.S. adults aged 18–29 years, using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Methods Using cross‐sectional data from 2011 to 2018 NHANES, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (analytic sample n = 3332 young adults, weighted n = 37,981,063) was included. Multivariable weighted log‐binomial models estimated the adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) for MetS and its five individual components comparing those with high versus low DASH scores, adjusting for socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Results Average participant age was 24 years and 51.8% were women. Over one‐third (35.6%) of young adults met MetS criteria. Most participants (87.5%) did not meet DASH nutrient targets intake amounts. High fasting glucose was the most prevalent MetS component (66.4%). In this sample, while high DASH scores were not associated with MetS presence (aPR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.72–1.04), they were associated with lower prevalence of central obesity (waist circumference), a component of MetS (aPR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64–0.98). Conclusion Despite low overall adherence to the DASH diet, higher adherence was linked to lower prevalence of MetS central obesity. Findings support targeted nutrition strategies in early adulthood to help reduce long‐term cardiometabolic risk.