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Background: Despite the great impact of diet on the metabolic syndrome, limited data are available relating dietary energy density to this syndrome. Furthermore, due to specific characteristics of diet in Middle-Eastern countries, looking for the association between dietary energy density and metabolic syndrome in this part of the world would be interesting. This study was performed to assess the association between dietary energy density and prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among Iranian women. Methods: Usual dietary intakes were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 486 Iranian adult women using a food frequency questionnaire. The dietary energy density was calculated as each individual__AWT_QUOTE__s reported the daily energy intake (kcal/d) into the total weight of foods (excluding beverages) consumed (g/d). Anthropometric measurements, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum lipid profiles and blood pressure were evaluated. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines.   Findings: The mean energy-adjusted dietary energy density was 1.77±0.35 kcal/g. After controlling the potential confounders, individuals in the top tertile of the dietary energy density had 80% (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.15) greater odds of having the metabolic syndrome. Even after further adjustment for BMI, this association remained significant (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.96). The higher dietary energy density was also significantly associated with greater odds of having abdominal adiposity (odds ratio in the top tertile vs. the bottom tertile: 4.23; 95% CI: 2.51, 7.18), the high serum triacylglycerol concentrations (3.55; 2.31, 5.93) and the low serum HDL-C levels (1.80; 1.13, 2.84). Additional control of BMI slightly attenuated the associations but all were still significant. No overall significant associations were found between the higher dietary energy density and the risk of having elevated blood pressure or abnormal glucose homeostasis, either before or after adjustment for confounders. Conclusion: The higher dietary energy density was significantly associated with a greater risk of the metabolic syndrome and its' components. Further studies are required to focus on lowering the dietary energy density as a probable strategy for combating metabolic syndrome. Key Words: Energy Density, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Women

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