Metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is the co-occurrence of abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, high blood glucose, and abnormal blood lipids. Together, these risk factors increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Insulin resistance: A reduced response of cells to insulin, which impairs glucose uptake and metabolic regulation. It commonly connects elevated glucose with other metabolic abnormalities in the syndrome.
Waist circumference: A measurement around the abdomen used to assess central adiposity and related health risk. Diagnostic criteria commonly use it to identify abdominal obesity.
Cardiovascular risk assessment: The estimation of a person’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease or experiencing an event. The syndrome signals that several cardiovascular risk factors occur together.
Obesity: A chronic condition involving excess body fat that can impair health. Obesity can occur without the full cluster of blood-pressure, glucose, and lipid abnormalities.
Visceral fat: Fat stored within the abdominal cavity around internal organs. Its metabolic activity helps explain why abdominal fat is a defining risk factor.
Fasting plasma glucose: The concentration of glucose in blood after a period without food or caloric drinks. It is one standard measure of the syndrome’s glucose abnormality.
Type 2 diabetes: A chronic disease in which insulin resistance and inadequate insulin secretion cause elevated blood glucose. People with the syndrome have increased risk of developing this disease.
Insulin resistance syndrome: A proposed name for a constellation of metabolic abnormalities thought to arise partly from insulin resistance. The label emphasizes a possible mechanism, whereas metabolic syndrome is defined by risk-factor criteria.
Adipokine: A signaling molecule released by adipose tissue that influences metabolism, inflammation, or appetite. Adipose signals can link excess abdominal fat to insulin resistance and inflammation.
Triglyceride: A blood lipid composed of glycerol bonded to three fatty acids. Elevated triglycerides count as a defining component in common criteria.

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