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According to a new study, millions of middle-aged adults who are overweight with even slightly elevated blood pressure, cholesterol or glucose levels are about a third more likely to die early. The findings, presented recently at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, say these individuals also have a 35% higher risk of heart attacks or strokes and will experience them two years earlier than their peers.
According to The Guardian, the study highlights the immediate dangers of the global obesity crisis. It’s estimated that 31% of the world’s population suffers from metabolic syndrome, characterized by having three or more unhealthy traits including being overweight or having too much belly fat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high glucose levels.
“This scenario, called metabolic syndrome, is a growing problem in western populations where people are unknowingly storing up problems for later in life,” said study author Lena Lonnberg, of Vastmanland County Hospital in Vasteras, Sweden. “This is a missed opportunity to intervene before heart attacks and strokes that could have been avoided occur.”
The study built upon previous research linking metabolic syndrome with increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and premature death. It delved into the association between asymptomatic metabolic syndrome in middle age and cardiovascular disease and death up to three decades later.
Researchers followed 34,269 Swedish adults in their 40s and 50s from 1990 to 1999 who participated in a cardiovascular screening program. They were given a thorough clinical examination and completed questionnaires about their lifestyles. They were classified as having metabolic syndrome if they had three or more of the following: a waist circumference of more than 40 inches for men and 34 inches for women; systolic blood pressure higher than 130 mmHg over a diastolic blood pressure reading higher than 85 mmHg; fasting plasma glucose of 5.6 mmol/1 or a total cholesterol level of over 240 mg/dl.
A total of 5,084 individuals were classified as having metabolic syndrome, and the control group of 10,168 participants did not. During a mean follow-up of 27 years, 26% of the participants with metabolic syndrome died compared with 19% of the control group, meaning those with metabolic syndrome were 30% more likely to die than their peers without the disorder.
Non-fatal heart attacks or strokes occurred in 32% of the participants with metabolic syndrome compared with 22% of the control group — a 35% greater risk of heart attack and stroke. The average time for the first non-fatal heart and stroke was 16.8 years in the metabolic syndrome group and 19.1 years in the control group — a 2.3-year difference.
Lonnberg pointed out that the individual risk factors within metabolic syndrome did not have to be severely raised to trigger potentially deadly health issues. She said that many people live for years with slightly raised levels before they suffer symptoms.
“In our study, middle-aged adults with metabolic syndrome had a heart attack or stroke 2.3 earlier than those without the collection of unhealthy traits,” she said. “Blood pressure was the riskiest component, particularly for women in their 40s, highlighting the value of keeping it under control.”
Experts say that the takeaway message from this study is that it is possible to reduce your risk of cardiovascular events and death by adhering to simple lifestyle changes such as eating well-balanced meals, exercising regularly, and not smoking to help lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and weight. If these changes don’t make a difference, ask your healthcare professional for advice or medicine that can keep these risk factors under control.
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