posted 12/06/02
A new study finds middle-aged men with the metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and death.
Metabolic syndrome is characterized as having high blood pressure, blood lipid abnormalities, obesity, increased abdominal fat, high blood sugar levels, and insulin resistance. Researchers of the study used current definitions of the metabolic syndrome from the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to evaluate the possible connection of heart disease and death from the metabolic syndrome. Researchers say, "To our knowledge, this is the first prospective population-based cohort study reporting the association of the metabolic syndrome using recently proposed definitions with cardiovascular and overall mortality."
In the study, researchers followed 1,209 men ages 42 to 60, free from heart disease, cancer or diabetes, for more than 11 years to assess the link between the metabolic syndrome and heart disease and death. Depending on the NCEP or WHO definitions of the metabolic syndrome, 8 percent to 14 percent of participants had the metabolic syndrome. During the study there were 109 deaths. Of those, 46 deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease and 27 were caused by coronary heart disease.
Researchers found that men with the metabolic syndrome, as defined by the WHO, were 2.9 to 3.3 times more likely to die from coronary heart disease. Men with the metabolic syndrome, as defined by the NCEP, were 2.9 to 4.2 times more likely to die from coronary heart disease. They also found that the metabolic syndrome as defined by the WHO, was linked to a 2.6 to 3.0 greater risk for death from cardiovascular disease.
Researchers say, "The threat to public health posed by the metabolic syndrome will continue to grow as the metabolic syndrome becomes more common. Early identification, treatment, and prevention of the metabolic syndrome presents a major challenge for physicians and public health policy makers facing an epidemic of overweight and sedentary lifestyle."
Source: Ivanhoe Newswire: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002;288:2709-2716.
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