Objective  To analyze the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MS) and dietary patterns among male adults in Tianjin city and to provide evidences for the prevention of MS.

  Methods  Using cluster sampling, we conducted a questionnaire interview, physical examination and laboratory test among 1 399 males aged 20 – 59 years having routine health check-up at a district health guidance center in Tianjin city from January to December of 2015. Factor analysis was used to identify dietary patterns and univairate and multivariate logistic regression were adopted to assess the relationship between dietary pattern and the prevalence of MS.

  Results  Among the participants, the MS prevalence rate was 17.51% and four dietary patterns were identified, namely “vegetable and seafood”, “beverage/alcohol and fast food”, “grain and cereal” and “rice, meat and egg” pattern, which altogether explaining 45.840% of the variance in dietary food consumption. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the participants with the highest quartile score for “beverage/alcohol and fast food” dietary pattern had a 1.666 times higher risk (odds ratio = 1.666, 95% confidence interval: 1.063 – 2.611) of MS compared to those with the lowest quartile score for the dietary pattern after adjusting for potential confounding factors such as age, gender, body mass index, energy intake, smoking, and alcohol drinking.

  Conclusion  Higher intake of alcohol, beverage, and fast food may increase the risk of MS among male adult residents in Tianjin city.