Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 50 8 2021 07 22 1713 1721 EN Behzad Zamani Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Elnaz Daneshzad Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Manije Darooghegi Mofrad Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Nazli Namazi Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran Univer-sity of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Bagher Larijani Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran Nick Bellissimo School of Nutrition, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada Leila Azadbakht epartment of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2. Diabetes Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2019 07 12 2020 01 18 Background: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is dramatically increasing particularly in developing countries. Among the different factors, diet has an important role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. This study aimed to assess the relationship between dietary quality index-international (DQI-I) and cardiovascular risk factors in adult Iranian women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 371 participants, aged 20-50 yr, and recruited from 10 health centers from health centers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran in 2018. Usual dietary intake was evaluated by a validated and reliable 168-items food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). To assess overall quality of diet, the Dietary Quality Index-International (DQI) was used. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and fasting blood of samples were taken to assess biochemical parameters related to cardiovascular disease. Results: The results of linear regression showed that DQI-I score was inversely and directly associated with serum level of total cholesterol (TC) (0.27, confidence interval (CI): 0.13-0.58; P<0.001) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (2.53, CI: 1.42-4.52; P=0.001), respectively. However, there was no significant association between DQI-I and other cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion: A greater DQI-I score was associated with preferable lipid profile including TC and HDL-C. Future large-scale, prospective cohort or clinical studies are required to confirm these findings. https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/17713 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/17713/7330