Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes. These risk factors include abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglyceride levels, and low HDL cholesterol levels. According to a meta-analysis of 87 studies, individuals with metabolic syndrome have a 2-fold increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those without metabolic syndrome (Mottillo et al., 2010).
However, it’s important to note that not all individuals with metabolic syndrome will develop cardiovascular disease. The risk of developing cardiovascular disease depends on various factors, including age, gender, family history, lifestyle factors, and the severity of metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle interventions such as weight loss, increased physical activity, and a healthy diet have been shown to improve metabolic syndrome and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (Cornier et al., 2008).
Therefore, while having metabolic syndrome increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, it’s possible to mitigate this risk through lifestyle interventions and managing individual risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.
References:
Cornier, M. A., Després, J. P., Davis, N., Grossniklaus, D. A., Klein, S., Lamarche, B., … & Poirier, P. (2008). Assessing adiposity: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 117(13), 1635-1652.
Mottillo, S., Filion, K. B., Genest, J., Joseph, L., Pilote, L., Poirier, P., … & Eisenberg, M. J. (2010). The metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 56(14), 1113-1132.