The Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

CORONARY HEART disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States.¹ Factors associated with an increased risk of developing CHD that tend to cluster in individuals include older age, high blood pressure, a low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, a high triglyceride level, a high plasma glucose concentration, and obesity.² These associated risk factors have been called syndrome X,³ the insulin resistance syndrome,⁴ or the metabolic syndrome.⁵