UW LogoScientists at the University of Warwick have recognized a particular combination of health problems that may possibly double the risk of heart attack. Also, it could cause a three-fold increase in the risk of mortality.

Metabolic syndrome is known to be a combination of medical disorders that raise the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. The chief five health problems usually associated with metabolic syndrome are believed to include abnormal levels of blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, too much sugar in the blood and central obesity i.e. surplus of fat around the waistline. Triglyceride levels appear to be the chemical form in which fat exists inside the body.

During the study, Dr Franco along with his team was noted to have examined nearly 3,078 people in order to track the prevalence and progress of Metabolic Syndrome as part of the Framingham Offspring Study.

The study authors were noted to have identified the most dangerous combination of these conditions to be central obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Moreover, people who have all three of these conditions may perhaps be twice as likely to have a heart attack and are three times more likely to die earlier as compared to the general population.

Lead author of the study, Dr Oscar Franco, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Public Health at Warwick Medical School elucidated that, “Metabolic syndrome is a highly prevalent condition that is increasing dramatically and affects a large portion of the middle-age population. Not all individuals enter the syndrome with identical combination of factors. Certain combinations confer higher risks of incident cardiovascular disease and mortality.”

He claimed that the combination of high blood pressure, central obesity and hyperglycemia also known as high blood sugar could possibly have shown a considerably higher risk in contrast to the others.

He further said that strong efforts seem to be required in order to identify populations with these particular combinations. Also, further studies are needed for the purpose of providing them with sufficient treatment at the early stages of disease.

The findings of the study reveals that having obesity simultaneously with high blood pressure and high blood sugar seems to have the most hazardous combination of health factors when developing metabolic syndrome.

The findings of the study ‘Trajectories of Entering the Metabolic Syndrome: the Framington Heart Study’ have been published in the journal, Circulation.