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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffThe following factors increase your chances of having metabolic syndrome:
- Age. The risk of metabolic syndrome increases with age, affecting less than 10 percent of people in their 20s and 40 percent of people in their 60s. However, warning signs of metabolic syndrome can appear in childhood.
- Race. Hispanics and Asians seem to be at greater risk of metabolic syndrome than other races are.
- Obesity. A body mass index (BMI) — a measure of your percentage of body fat based on height and weight — greater than 25 increases your risk of metabolic syndrome. So does abdominal obesity — having an apple shape rather than a pear shape.
- History of diabetes. You're more likely to have metabolic syndrome if you have a family history of type 2 diabetes or a history of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes).
- Other diseases. A diagnosis of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or polycystic ovary syndrome — a similar type of metabolic problem that affects a woman's hormones and reproductive system — also increases your risk of metabolic syndrome.
References
- Meigs JB. The metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance syndrome or syndrome X). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 31, 2009.
- Metabolic syndrome. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ms/ms_all.html. Accessed Aug. 31, 2009.
- Katzmarzyk PT, et al. The importance of waist circumference in the definition of metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Care. 2006;29:404.
- Steinberger J, et al. Progress and challenges in metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. Circulation. 2009;119:628.
- Grundy SM, et al. Diagnosis and management of the metabolic syndrome: An American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute scientific statement. Circulation. 2005;112:2735.
- Aim for a healthy weight. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm. Accessed Aug. 31, 2009.
- deKoning L, et al. Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio as predictors of cardiovascular events: Meta-regression analysis of prospective studies. European Heart Journal. 2007;28:850.
