Metabolic Syndrome―Defined

According to the American Heart Association, over 47 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, which equates to 1 in every 6 people.

Also called insulin resistance syndrome and Syndrome X, metabolic syndrome is a set of risk factors that together raise your risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other serious health problems.

If you have three of them or more of the following risk factors, you have metabolic syndrome:

Abdominal obesity – Extra fat in your stomach area is a bigger risk factor for abdominal obesity and heart disease than extra fat anywhere else.

High blood pressure – Along with damaging your heart and blood vessels over time, elevated blood pressure can also cause artery-clogging plaque, increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Elevated blood sugar levels – This damages blood vessels and promotes dangerous blood clots, permanent damage to the nerves in your hands/feet (peripheral neuropathy) and your eyes (diabetic retinopathy), and life-threatening conditions like diabetic ketoacidosis.

Unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels – Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. High levels of triglycerides can raise your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as your risk of heart disease.