Metabolic syndrome is an umbrella term that describes a number of physiological abnormalities that can lead to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There is no universally accepted definition of metabolic syndrome due to the many different diagnostic criteria as well as a lack of evidence of a unifying mechanism of action, insulin resistance is thought to play a major role (BMJ, 2025).
Metabolic syndrome is commonly diagnosed if you have three or more of the following:
- Insulin resistance
- Impaired glucose tolerance
- Abdominal obesity
- Reduced HDL-cholesterol
- Elevated triglyceride levels
- High blood pressure
Incidences of metabolic syndrome are increasing in line with the number of people living with obesity/overweight, a staggering one quarter of the world population is estimated to have the condition (BMJ, 2025).
You can check your abdominal fat using the string test which is based on the principle that your waist circumference should be less than half your height. Take a ball of string and roll it out to the length of your body, fold it in half and if you are unable to wrap it around your waist then this is an indicator of excess adiposity (Browning, 2010).
Other risk factors include age (over 40), family history of diabetes/CVD, those of South Asian and Hispanic descent, a history of gestational diabetes and menopausal women (NHS, 2023).
It is important that metabolic syndrome is treated/prevented due to the high risk of developing more serious chronic conditions such as CVD, type 2 diabetes, PCOS, fatty liver disease, gallstones, asthma, sleep problems and some forms of cancer (JHM, 2025).
If you are at increased risk, see your GP who will take your blood pressure and check blood glucose levels.
Diet can be an important preventative tool, try to avoid foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, include lots of high fibre food such as fruit, vegetables and wholegrains and limit alcohol consumption.
References
British Medical Journal Best Practice. 2025. Metabolic Syndrome
Browning, L. M., Hsieh, S. D., & Ashwell, M. (2010). A systematic review of waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool for the prediction of cardiovascular disease and diabetes: 0· 5 could be a suitable global boundary value. Nutrition research reviews, 23(2), 247-269.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. 2025. Metabolic Syndrome
NHS. 2023. Metabolic Syndrome
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