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Metabolic syndrome

Find out what metabolic syndrome is, what the symptoms and risk factors are, and what you can do to reverse or prevent it.

1 November 2022

Introduction

Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension) and obesity.

It puts you at greater risk of getting coronary heart disease ↗, stroke ↗ and other conditions that affect the blood vessels.

On their own, diabetes ↗, high blood pressure ↗ and obesity ↗ can damage your blood vessels, but having all 3 together is particularly dangerous.

They're very common conditions that are linked, which explains why metabolic syndrome affects an estimated 1 in 3 older adults aged 50 or over in the UK.

Symptoms of metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome may be diagnosed if you have 3 or more of the following:

  • being very overweight or having too much fat around your waist
  • high triglyceride levels (fat in the blood) and low levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) ↗ in your blood, which can lead to atherosclerosis ↗ (where arteries become clogged with fatty substances such as cholesterol)
  • high blood pressure that's consistently 140/90mmHg or higher
  • an inability to control blood sugar levels (insulin resistance)

Find out more about the health problems linked to metabolic syndrome on Heart UK ↗

Preventing or reversing metabolic syndrome

You can prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome by making lifestyle changes, including:

If necessary, a GP may prescribe medicine to help control your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Find out more about treating high blood pressure ↗, treating type 2 diabetes ↗ and treating high cholesterol ↗.

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