In-Focus Brief on Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent.
What is metabolic syndrome? you may well ask. Well, the definition goes that if you have 3 or more of the following characteristics then you can be considered as having this syndrome:

• waist circumference greater than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women.

• blood pressure of at least 130/85 mm Hg; or serum glucose level of at least 110 mg/dL (6.1 mmol/L).

• serum triglycerides level of at least 150 mg/dL (1.69 mmol/L).

• high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level of less than 40 mg/dL (1.04 mmol/L) in men and 50 mg/dL (1.29 mmol/L) in women.

You can measure the first of these and you can probably get information about the second, but for the other two characteristics you will will need a bioanalysis test done.

Having this syndrome means having an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. It is reported to often go unrecognized by patients and their doctors.

How prevalent is metabolic syndrome? A recent study looked at exactly this question and found that about 1 in 5 men and nearly 1 in 4 women have this condition. The study looked at data obtained from over 8814 men and women in the 3rd National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This means that at least 47 million Americans have this syndrome.

The prevalence increases with age. For those age above 60 the prevalence is as high as 43 % on average. Mexican Americans were found to have the highest prevalence for the syndrome (31.9%). The prevalence was 57 % higher among African American women compared to African American men, and among Mexican Americans, women had 26 % higher prevalence than men.

What can be done to prevent or cure the condition?
Take a look at the definition again, above. You will notice that all measurements are nutritionally related. You could expect that adopting a correct nutrition lifestyle would help prevent the associated hypertension, the raised blood glucose (indicating diabetic tendency), and the high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Diet (eg a low calorie, low-cholesterol diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fiber) and exercise are known to be beneficial for both prevention and treatment. Some patients will fail to make the necessary lifestyle and dietary changes, and in these cases the treatment by medication to correct the individual metabolic disorders are available. These include effective antihypertensive as well as effective cholesterol- lowering drugs.

The new data on  the prevalence of the syndrome should make practitioners more aware about the scope of this problem and should make for better treatment intervention.
Reference: JAMA 2002 Jan 16;287(3):356-9

This brief focus has been taken from our January Newsletter. If you wish to receive our newsletter, you may subscribe Free here.

For information on getting a cardiovascular profile done, click here