Article Medically Reviewed By:
Katherine Sherif, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Center for Women's Health, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Overview
What Is It?
Metabolic syndrome is not a disease, but a clustering or "constellation" of health markers related to weight, lack of exercise and genetics.
Metabolic syndrome is not a disease, but a clustering or "constellation" of health markers. Although there are several definitions of what is required to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, in the United States most health care professionals use criteria from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the American Heart Association.
That definition says you must have at least three of the following five markers to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome:
- A waist measurement of more than 35 inches around (more than 40 inches in men).
- A fasting blood glucose level of 100 mg/dL or higher; or you're already taking medication because you have high blood glucose levels.
- A triglyceride level at or above 150 mg/dL. Triglycerides are a form of fat in your blood.
- An HDL cholesterol level (the "good" cholesterol) below 50 mg/dL (below 40 mg/dL in men); or you're already taking medication to increase your HDL level.
- A blood pressure at or above 130 mm Hg systolic (the top number) or 85 mm Hg diastolic (the bottom number); or you're already taking medication to treat high blood pressure.
According to the American Heart Association, 47 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, although many may not know it. Metabolic syndrome is a concern because it is linked to several health conditions, particularly heart disease and diabetes. Although rates of metabolic syndrome are the same in men and women, women with a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are up to 11 times more likely to have metabolic syndrome than those without PCOS.
Additionally, rates of metabolic syndrome increase with age, occurring in about 45 percent of those aged 60 to 69. Researchers have discovered the risk of metabolic syndrome in women begins to rise around perimenopause, which seems to be related to increases in testosterone at that time.
The reason so many Americans have metabolic syndrome is related to three things: weight, lack of exercise and genetics.
However, while you're more likely to have metabolic syndrome if you're overweight, not everyone who is overweight has it. And you can have it even if you are not overweight. Estimates are that about 22 percent of overweight and 60 percent of obese people have metabolic syndrome, with the risk thought to be directly related to the amount of abdominal fat. Abdominal, or visceral, fat is defined by your waist circumference. Later, we'll talk more about why this increases your risk for certain diseases.
You also have a higher risk of metabolic syndrome if you're Hispanic or South Asian (from the Indian subcontinent), don't get much o...
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