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What is Metabolic Syndrome?
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The 2001 guidelines from the National Cholesterol
Education Program (ATPIII) defines Metabolic Syndrome as
having the presence of three of the five risk factors for Coronary
Heart Disease
These risk factors include:
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1.
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insulin resistance (the inability to
properly deal with dietary carbohydrates and sugars)
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2.
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elevated triglycerides
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3.
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decreased HDL-C (good cholesterol)
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4.
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abdominal obesity, waist circumference
greater than 102cm in men and 88cm in women
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5.
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high blood pressure
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These heart disease risk factors have been found to cluster
in some people, increasing the risk of heart attack by four to 20
times over that of people without these risk factors. In fact,
the presence of any one major risk factor substantially increases
the risk of heart disease, but when they occur together the risk
is significantly magnified.
The (PROCAM) Study showed the following relationship between
various cardiac risk factors and heart attack over a four-year
period.
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Factors
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Increased Risk of Heart Attack
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With diabetes OR high blood pressure
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2.5X
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With combination of Diabetes AND High
Blood Pressure
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8X
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Abnormal lipid profile only
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16X
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Abnormal lipid profile with combination
of Diabetes and/or Abnormal lipid profile
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20X
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