Metabolic Syndrome Doubles Heart Risk, Analysis Shows

The combination of metabolic syndrome risk factors -- including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance -- increases the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. And about 25 percent of American adults have metabolic syndrome, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

In the new analysis, researchers examined more than 70 recent studies that included a total of nearly one million patients. The investigators found that people with metabolic syndrome are up to 2.5 times more likely to die of heart-related causes and to have heart disease, a heart attack or stroke, compared to people without the syndrome.
"Ultimately, population-level interventions such as New York City's ban on trans-fats are needed to decrease the number of people with the metabolic syndrome and their corresponding cardiovascular risk," Eisenberg said in the news release.