Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Having just one of these conditions - increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal cholesterol levels - contributes to your risk of serious disease. In combination, your risk is even greater.

Research into the complex underlying process linking this group of conditions is ongoing. As the name suggests, metabolic syndrome is tied to the body's metabolism, possibly to a condition called insulin resistance.

Not all experts agree on the definition of metabolic syndrome or whether it even exists as a distinct medical condition. Doctors have talked about this constellation of risk factors for years and have called it many names, including syndrome X and insulin resistance syndrome. Whatever it's called, and however it's precisely defined, this collection of risk factors is apparently becoming more prevalent.

If you have metabolic syndrome or any of its components, you have the opportunity to make aggressive lifestyle changes that can delay or derail the development of serious diseases.