Society of Behavioral Medicine

What is Metabolic Syndrome?

Based on the guidelines from the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III), any three of the following traits in the same individual meet the criteria for the metabolic syndrome:

  1. Abdominal obesity: a waist circumference over 102 cm (40 in) in men and over 88 cm (35 inches) in women.
  2. Serum triglycerides 150 mg/dl or above.
  3. HDL cholesterol 40mg/dl or lower in men and 50mg/dl or lower in women.
  4. Blood pressure of 130/85 or more.
  5. Fasting blood glucose of 110 mg/dl or above. (Some groups say 100mg/dl) 1
  • An estimated 47 million U.S. residents have metabolic syndrome. 2

  • The age-adjusted prevalence of metabolic syndrome for adults is 23.7 percent. 1
    • The prevalence ranges from 6.7 percent among people ages 20-29 to 43.5 percent for ages 60-69 and 42.0 percent for those age 70 and older.
    • The age-adjusted prevalence is similar for men (24.0 percent) and women (23.4 percent).
    • Mexican Americans have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (31.9 percent). The lowest prevalence is among whites (23.8 percent), African Americans (21.6 percent) and people reporting an "other" race or ethnicity (20.3 percent).
    • Among African Americans, women had about a 57 percent higher prevalence than men.
    • Among Mexican Americans, women had a 26 percent higher prevalence than men did.

  • The prevalence of people with metabolic syndrome are:
    • Among whites, 24.3 percent for men and 22.9 percent for women.
    • Among blacks, 13.9 percent for men and 20.9 percent for women.
    • Among Mexican Americans, 20.8 percent for men and 27.2 percent for women. 3

  • Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Among Adolescents: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among 12- to 19-year-old U.S. adolescents was estimated in an analysis of NHANES III data, by applying a modification of the ATP III definition for adults. Metabolic syndrome during adolescence was defined as having three or more of the following abnormalities: {tc \l1 "The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among 12-19 year old U.S. adolescents was estimated by Cook et al in an analysis of NHANES III data, by applying a modification of the ATP III definition for adults. Metabolic syndrome during adolescence was defined as three or more of the following abnormalities:} 4
    • Serum triglyceride level of 110 mg/dL or higher.
    • High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level of 40 mg/dL or lower.
    • Elevated fasting glucose of 110 mg/dL or higher.
    • Blood pressure at or above the 90th percentile for age, sex and height.
    • Waist circumference at or above the 90th percentile for age and sex.

  • An estimated 1 million 12-19-year-old adolescents in the United States have metabolic syndrome, or 4.2 percent overall (6.1 percent of males; 2.1 percent of females). 5
    • The mean BMI of adolescents with metabolic syndrome (30.1) was just above the 95th percentile of the CDC Growth Chart; thus they are likely to represent a fairly common clinical problem in pediatrics.
    • Of adolescents with metabolic syndrome, 73.9 percent were overweight (BMI>= 95th percentile of the CDC Growth Chart), and 25.2 percent were at risk of overweight (BMI 85-94th percentile).
    • The mean BMI of adolescents with metabolic syndrome (30.1) was just above the 95th percentile of the CDC Growth Chart; thus they are likely to represent a fairly common clinical problem in pediatrics.
    • Metabolic syndrome was present in 28.7 percent of overweight adolescents (BMI >= 95th percentile of the CDC Growth chart) compared with 6.8 percent of at-risk-of-overweight adolescents, and 0.1 percent of those with BMI below the 85th percentile) (P<.001)
    • Prevalence of adolescents with one or more abnormalities of metabolic syndrome, 40.9 percent had >=1abnormality; 14.2 percent had >=2 abnormalities; 4.2 percent had >=3 criteria and 0.9 percent had >=4 criteria for metabolic syndrome. For overweight adolescents, 88.5 percent had >=1 criterion; 54.4 percent had >=2 criteria; 28.7 percent had >=3 criteria and 5.8 percent had >=4 criteria for metabolic syndrome.

  • Among more than 3,400 children examined in one study, one in 10 had metabolic syndrome. 6
  • Using a sample of adolescents from NHANES III, the overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome in moderately obese subjects was 38.7 percent and 49.7 percent in severely obese subjects. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in severely obese black subjects was 39 percent. 7

1 MedicineNet.com Web site: http://www.medicinenet.com/metabolic_syndrome/article.htm
2 Ford, ES, et al. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among US adults: findings from the Third National Health and Examination Survey. JAMA 2002;287:356-9
3 Park YW, et al. The metabolic syndrome prevalence and associated risk factor findings in the US population from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Arch Intern Med 2003;163:427-36
4 Cook S et al: Arch Pediatr Adol Med 2003;157:821-827
5 Cook S, et al. Prevalence of a metabolic syndrome phenotype in adolescents: findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Arch Pediatr Adol Med 2003;157:821-7
6 De Ferranti, et al. Circulation 2003;108:17:IV-727. Meeting Abstract #3286
7 Weiss, R, et al. Obesity and the metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. NEJM 2004;350:2362-74
http://www.sbm.org/media/facts/metabolic_syndrome.cfm