This study was performed to investigate the characteristics of nutrient intake according to metabolic syndrome in Korean elderly. Data on 1,200 elderly (men 545, women 655) over 65 years was obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010. The subjects were divided into metabolic syndrome (MetS) and normal groups based on NCEP-ATP III guidelines and by applying the Asia-Pacific definition with waist circumference. The prevalence of MetS was 48.9% in all subjects, 35.6% in men and 58.9% in women, respectively. All nutrient intake was significantly lower in MetS than normal subjects, except iron, vitamin A, carotene, and retinol. In the carbohydrate: protein: fat (C:P:F) ratio, MetS showed a higher rate for carbohydrate, but a lower rate for protein and fat than normal. MetS was lower in calcium, vitamin B1, and vitamin C by the nutrient adequacy ratio than normal. Mean adequacy ratio of MetS (0.69) was lower than that of the normal group (0.72). These results demonstrated that undernutrition, not excess intake of specific nutrients - energy, fat, or cholesterol was associated with the risk for MetS in Korean elderly with MetS. Therefore, it is recommended to have a healthy dietary pattern with diverse nutrients for the prevention of MetS.