Metabolic Syndrome: Recent Prevalence in East and Southeast Asian Populations

Background: The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among a number of Asian populations as defined by several current criteria has been increasing rapidly and appears to resemble that among Western populations.Methods: We review 25 surveys of the metabolic syndrome in Asian populations (PR China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Singapore) that report adequate information published during the last 5 years.Results: Using Asian-adapted definitions of obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) and increased waist circumference (for male ≥ 90 cm; for female ≥ 80 cm) prevalence appears to be between 10 to 30%. Those with the syndrome are more likely to have a history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is 10 times higher among middle-aged Japanese men with the metabolic syndrome compared to healthy subjects. In Chinese and Japanese populations, people who have the metabolic syndrome are 3 to 10 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Variance in prevalence estimates of the metabolic syndrome even within the same country result from differences in sampling and possibly from definitions.Conclusions: The outstanding conclusion from recent surveys across the Asian-Pacific region is that of a consistent increase in the prevalence of the metabolic derangements associated with abdominal adiposity that lead to high risk of morbidity and mortality.