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Just because you haven't heard of metabolic syndrome doesn't mean it is not important. It is the "perfect storm" of risk factors.
When you have metabolic syndrome, your body goes through a series of biochemical changes which, over time, can lead to the development of one or more interrelated medical conditions. Think of it as a metabolic chain-reaction that begins when insulin, a hormone excreted from your pancreas, loses its ability to make your cells absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood. When this happens, your glucose levels remain elevated for an abnormally long time after you eat. Your pancreas, sensing a high glucose level in your blood, continues to produce insulin.
Consistently high levels of insulin and glucose in your blood can bring about a number of harmful changes in your body, including:
- Damage to the lining of coronary and other arteries, a key step toward the development of heart disease and stroke.
- Changes in your kidneys' ability to remove salt, which can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
- An increase in triglyceride levels, which increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
- An increased risk of blood clot formation, which can block your arteries and cause heart attacks and strokes.
- A slowing of insulin production, which can signal the start of type 2 diabetes, a disease that can increase your risk for heart attack, stroke and other serious conditions associated with diabetes.
Doctors generally diagnose metabolic syndrome with a physical exam, medical history, and blood tests (using criteria outlined by the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program) to identify specific risk factors. Patients with three or more risk factors are usually diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
| Criteria for diagnosing metabolic syndrome |
| Risk factor |
Defining level |
| Central abdominal obesity (waist circumference) |
Men: Greater than 40 in. (101.6 cm)
Women: Greater than 35 in. (88.9 cm) |
| Hypertriglyceridemia (high triglycerides) |
Greater than 149 mg/dL |
| Low HDL ("good") cholesterol |
Men: Less than 40 mg/dL
Woman: Less than 50 mg/dL |
| Hypertension (high blood pressure) |
Greater than 129/84 mm Hg |
| Fasting hyperglycemia (elevated fasting glucose/blood sugar) |
Greater than 109 mg/dL |
| Based on guidelines set forth by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). |
There are many other variables that may influence a diagnosis, including:
- Age. The incidence of metabolic syndrome increases with age.
- Personal or family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. (There is a greater risk for metabolic syndrome for those who have experienced diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) or who have a family member with type 2 diabetes
- High-fat diet
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking
- History of heavy drinking
- Ethnicity - African Americans and Mexican Americans are more prone to metabolic syndrome. African-American women are about 60 percent more likely than African-American men to have the syndrome.
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