Association between changes in 12 lifestyle behaviors and the development of metabolic syndrome during 1 year among workers in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

BACKGROUND: Practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors is a means to prevent metabolic syndrome (MetS), but the effect of changes of various behaviors over a short period is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the influence of changes in 12 behaviors on the development of MetS during 1 year. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 10,442 workers who received a periodic health checkup in a health center in Tokyo in 2008, 3,137 workers aged 30-69, without MetS, who received another health checkup in 2009 were analyzed. Smoking, amounts and frequency of alcohol drinking, sleeping, exercise, walking duration and speed, late-night dinners, bedtime snacking, breakfast, eating speed, and weight control were classified into 4 groups according to change from 2008 to 2009. To examine the influence of behavioral changes on developing MetS, multiple logistic analysis was conducted after adjustment for sex, baseline age and MetS components. Changes from healthy to unhealthy behaviors in exercise, walking duration and speed, daily drinking, and weight control were significant in developing MetS compared with maintaining healthy behaviors. Those risks were higher than keeping unhealthy behaviors. Unhealthy to healthy behavior in smoking increased the risk while healthy to unhealthy behavior in eating speed decreased the risk of developing MetS. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent developing MetS during 1 year, healthy behaviors regarding physical activity, drinking, and weight management should be maintained.