Overweight adults with high blood pressure a third more likely to die early, study finds 

Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for having three or more unhealthy traits, including being very overweight or having too much fat around your waist, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high glucose levels.

Millions of middle-aged adults who are overweight with even slightly raised blood pressure, cholesterol or glucose levels are about a third more likely to die early, research suggests.

They also face a 35% higher risk of heart attacks or strokes and will experience them two years earlier than their peers. 

The stark findings are being presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, the world’s largest heart conference. They represent more evidence of the immediate dangers posed by the global obesity crisis.

It is estimated that up to 31% of the global population has metabolic syndrome, although many will have no idea and remain undiagnosed.

Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for having three or more unhealthy traits, including being very overweight or having too much fat around your waist, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high glucose levels.

“Many people in their 40s and 50s have a bit of fat around the middle and marginally elevated blood pressure, cholesterol or glucose but feel generally well, are unaware of the risks and do not seek medical advice,” said the study author Dr Lena Lönnberg of Västmanland county hospital in Västerås, Sweden.

'Missed opportunity'

“This scenario, called metabolic syndrome, is a growing problem in western populations where people are unknowingly storing up problems for later in life. This is a huge missed opportunity to intervene before heart attacks and strokes that could have been avoided occur.” 

The study enrolled 34,269 adults in their 40s and 50s, who attended a cardiovascular screening programme in 1990 to 1999. Participants went to their primary healthcare centre for a clinical examination by a nurse, which included measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood glucose, and waist and hip circumference.

People were classified as having metabolic syndrome if they had three or more of the following: a waist circumference of 40in or above for men and 34in or above for women, a total cholesterol 6.1mmol/l (millimoles per litre of blood) or above, 130 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) or higher systolic blood pressure and/or 85 mmHg or higher diastolic blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose 5.6mmol/l or higher.

A total of 5,084 individuals met the criteria for metabolic syndrome and a control group of 10,168 individuals without metabolic syndrome was identified; 47% of participants were women.

During a median follow-up of 27 years, 1,317 (26%) participants with metabolic syndrome died compared with 1,904 (19%) controls — meaning those with metabolic syndrome were 30% more likely to die during follow-up than their counterparts.

Non-fatal heart attacks or strokes occurred in 1,645 (32%) participants with metabolic syndrome and 2,321 (22%) controls — corresponding to a 35% greater risk of heart attack and stroke in the metabolic syndrome group.