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The metabolic syndrome isn't a disease. It's a group of features that are linked to your body's metabolism. Your metabolism is the name given to all the chemical processes that happen in your body. The metabolic syndrome is also known as syndrome X or insulin resistance syndrome.¹

The most common features of the metabolic syndrome are:¹

• Extra fat around your abdomen
• High levels of bad fats in your blood
• Low levels of a good fat called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
• Blood pressure that is higher than normal
• Blood that clots too easily
• Problems with how your body uses insulin. You may have too much glucose (sugar) in your blood.

If you have any of features of the metabolic syndrome, your doctor will tell you what to do to stay healthy. Losing weight and exercising regularly are important. Your doctor might advise you to make other changes in the way you live, and you might also need medication.

If you have metabolic syndrome, you are more likely to get type 2 diabetes, heart disease, a stroke and some other conditions.¹

The metabolic syndrome is common. In the United States, more than 20 percent of people have it.²

If you have the metabolic syndrome, your body's insulin doesn't work as well as it should. This is called insulin resistance. It can be caused by:

• Being overweight
• Not getting enough exercise
• Having certain genes.

There isn't any special test for the metabolic syndrome. And you don't get symptoms right away. The health problems it can cause, such as type 2 diabetes, happen over time.

Guidelines for doctors say that you might have the metabolic syndrome if you have three or more of the following things.¹

• Your waist measures 40 inches or more if you are a man, or 35 inches or more if you are a woman. If you are Asian-American, it is 35 inches or more if you a man, or 31 inches or more if you are a women.
• The level of fats called triglycerides in your blood is 150 mg/dL or more before breakfast or you are taking medicine to lower your triglyceride). (The term mg/dL stands for milligrams per deciliter.)
• Your level of good (HDL) cholesterol is less than 40 mg/dL if you are a man, or less than 50 mg/dL if you are a woman, or or you are taking medicine to raise your HDL cholesterol.
• The level of glucose (sugar) in your blood is 100 mg/dL or more before breakfast or you are taking medicine to lower your blood sugar.
• Your blood pressure is 130/85 or higher or you are taking medicine to lower your blood pressure. For more information, see High blood pressure.

To find out the levels of glucose, fats and cholesterol in your blood, your doctor will do a blood test.

You can't change your genes. But you can:

• Keep your weight down
• Eat healthily
• Exercise
• Drink alcohol in moderation. That's one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men. One drink is 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer.

See your doctor if you think you might have the metabolic syndrome of any part of it.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.