['The present study explored the association between dairy food consumption and the risk of the metabolic syndrome in Korean adults using the most recent nationally representative data.', 'The study sample comprised 4862 Korean adults (≥19\xa0years) who participated in the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Dairy food consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation and the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.', 'We found that the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was significantly lower in subjects with higher milk or yogurt consumption (P\xa0<\xa00.0001). Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for abdominal obesity and high fasting glucose were significantly lower among subjects in the highest (≥ once per day) than in the lowest (none or rarely) category of milk consumption after adjusting for potential risk factors [OR\xa0=\xa00.68, 95% confidence interval (CI)\xa0=\xa00.50-0.93, P for trend\xa0=\xa00.0314; OR\xa0=\xa00.82, 95% CI\xa0=\xa00.65-1.03, P for trend\xa0=\xa00.0233]. The adjusted ORs for lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 28% lower among subjects in the highest compared to subjects in the lowest category of yogurt consumption (OR\xa0=\xa00.72, 95% CI\xa0=\xa00.52-1.00, P for trend\xa0=\xa00.0197). Furthermore, higher consumption of milk or yogurt was found to be significantly associated with a lower risk of the metabolic syndrome (OR\xa0=\xa00.71, 95% CI\xa0=\xa00.55-0.93, P for trend\xa0=\xa00.0066; OR\xa0=\xa00.71, 95% CI\xa0=\xa00.48-1.05, P for trend\xa0=\xa00.0067).'] Is dairy food consumption inversely associated with the risk of the metabolic syndrome in Korean adults?