{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T16:13:29Z","timestamp":1788970409967,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n The prevalence of global metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing alongside childhood obesity, and diet plays an important role in metabolic health.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n \n This study examined MetS, its components, and dietary pattern associations among Sudanese early adolescents aged 10\u201315\u202fyears (\n N<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f921).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n In this cross-sectional study conducted in 2018\u20132019, dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire; dietary patterns were derived by principal component analysis; and associations with MetS components and weight status were examined using the multiple linear regression analysis.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Three patterns emerged: starchy\/animal-origin (starchy foods, fish, chicken, eggs, milk\/dairy, meat), Western (fast\/fried foods, snacks, soda drinks, sweets), and plant-based (legumes, vegetables, fruits, fresh juices) food patterns. Starchy\/animal-origin and Western patterns were positively associated with weight status, and the plant-based pattern was inversely associated with weight status (all\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.01). After adjusting for gender, residence, age, and parental education, the starchy\/animal-origin pattern was associated with greater waist circumference (WC; B\u202f=\u202f2.05, 95% CI: 1.50, 2.60,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.01) and higher systolic blood pressure (SBP; B\u202f=\u202f0.62, 95% CI: 0.03, 1.21,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.038). The Western pattern was associated with lower WC (B\u202f=\u202f\u22120.84, 95% CI: \u22121.52, \u22120.15,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.016), whereas the plant-based pattern was associated with lower WC (B\u202f=\u202f\u22122.70, 95% CI: \u22123.28, \u22122.14,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.01), lower SBP (B\u202f=\u202f\u22121.14, 95% CI: \u22121.75, \u22120.53,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.01), and lower diastolic blood pressure (B\u202f=\u202f\u22120.68, 95% CI: \u22121.29, \u22120.07,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.028).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n The starchy\/animal-origin pattern showed adverse adiposity, while the plant-based pattern showed more favorable profiles among Sudanese early adolescents. School-based dietary interventions are needed to promote balanced eating and reduce MetS risk.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1939035","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T15:31:56Z","timestamp":1788967916000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Metabolic syndrome, its components, and their association with dietary patterns among early adolescents in Sudan"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Fatima A.","family":"Elfaki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University","place":["Jazan, Saudi Arabia"]},{"name":"Research Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University","place":["Maastricht, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aziza I. G.","family":"Mukhayer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Education and Promotion, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University","place":["Maastricht, Netherlands"]},{"name":"School of Medicine, Ahfad University for Women","place":["Omdurman, Sudan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed E.","family":"Moukhyer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, Ahfad University for Women","place":["Omdurman, Sudan"]},{"name":"Public Health Programs, School of Medicine, University of Limerick","place":["Limerick, Ireland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rama M.","family":"Chandika","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University","place":["Jazan, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Husameldin E.","family":"Khalafalla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University","place":["Maastricht, Netherlands"]},{"name":"Department of Health Education and Promotion, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University","place":["Maastricht, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stef P. J.","family":"Kremers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University","place":["Maastricht, Netherlands"]},{"name":"Department of Health Education and Promotion, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University","place":["Maastricht, Netherlands"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","first-page":"2","article-title":"Dietary food consumption patterns in Sudan","volume":"6","author":"Abdalla","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Agric Sci Rev"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"178.e1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpeds.2016.03.077","article-title":"Dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern is associated with reduced incidence of metabolic syndrome in children and 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