Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in young men in Japan

Aim: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome, as defined by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATPIII) modified for age (≥ 3 of the following abnormalities): waist circumference of at least 80 cm; serum glucose level of at least 110 mg/ dL; triglyceride level of at least 110 mg/dL; high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level of 40 mg/dL or less; and blood pressure (BP) of at least 130/75 mmHg, was estimated in male high school students who attended an annual school health examination. Methods: The subjects were divided into three body mass index (BMI) categories (obese: ≥ 25; mildly obese: 23-24.9: and normal weight: < 23 kg/m²). Of the 1446 students (mean age 15 years), 96 (6.6%) were obese and 158 (10.9%) were mildly obese. Results. The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 1.4%, being present in; 15.6% of obese subjects. Overall, elevated systolic BP was most common (19.9%). In obese subjects, 51% had an elevated systolic BP. Conclusion: Our study suggests that metabolic syndrome is present in more than 1% of male adolescents and 15% of obese male adolescents in Japan.