本文主要探討閱讀食品標示與代謝症候群的相關性。利用全國具代表性之資料庫2001年「國民健康訪問調査」、2002年「台灣地區高血壓、高血糖、高血脂調査」進行二次分析。共有6188位個案納入分析；在控制性別、年齡、教育程度、職業、身體質量指数、規律運動、高油脂飲食、喝酒、抽菸及嚼檳榔等變項後，閱讀食品標示總分與代謝症候群呈顯著負相關，沒有閱讀效期標示相對於有閱讀效期標示，有較高罹患代謝症候群的機會，而有閱讀效期標示者，是否有閱讀主要成分標示或閱讀營養宣稱標示，並不影響代謝症候群的存在與否。本文結論為有閱讀食品標示與代謝症候群有負相關，加強宣導民眾閱讀食品標示的做法可能有助於預防代謝症候群。

The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between food label use and metabolic syndrome. Secondary analysis was conducted using two nationally representative datasets. The data derived from the 2001 Taiwan National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the 2002 Taiwanese Survey on Prevalence of Hypertension, Hyperglycemia, and Hyperlipidemia (TwSHHH). A total of 6,188 subjects were included in the analyses. After adjustment for controlled variables including gender, age, education, occupation, body mass index, regular exercise, high-fat diet, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and betel nut chewing, higher food label use was associated with lower odds of metabolic syndrome. Subjects who did not read expiration date labels had higher odds of suffering from metabolic syndrome than subjects who did read it. However, neither reading main ingredients labels nor nutrition claims labels of subjects who read expiration date labels was associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Food label use was found to have a negative correlation with metabolic syndrome. Therefore, food label use appears to be a useful way to prevent metabolic syndrome.