Association between Healthy Eating Index 2015 and metabolic syndrome among US cancer survivors: evidence from NHANES 2005–2016

Our study examined the relationship between diet quality and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among 1779 U.S. cancer survivors using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2005–2016). Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015). Higher HEI-2015 scores were linked to significantly lower MetS prevalence (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.32–0.80). Specifically, a higher intake of seafood and plant proteins, and fatty acids, coupled with a reduced intake of added sugars, was associated with decreased odds of MetS prevalence (OR: 0.93; 95% CI, 0.86–0.99) in cancer survivors. Additionally, a better diet quality was linked to lower prevalence of high waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and high fasting glucose levels (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.27–0.72). These results suggest that adopting healthy dietary habits may prevent MetS in cancer survivors.