NAASO Develops Plan of Action to Address High U.S. Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome

San Diego, CA – February 24, 2002 The recently defined "Metabolic Syndrome" is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities associated with high cardiovascular and diabetes risk. In 2001, the National Cholesterol Education Program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) formulated a working definition of Metabolic Syndrome that requires three or more of the following criteria: 1) Abdominal obesity (waist circumference >102 cm in men and >88 cm in women); 2) Triglycerides > 150 mg/dl; 3) HDL-cholesterol <40 mg/dl in men and <50 mg/dl in women; 4) High blood pressure (>130/85 mm Hg); 5) High fasting glucose (>110 mg/dl).

Last month, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that the age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the U.S. adult population is about 24%. The prevalence increases from 7% for adults in their 20s, to over 40% for adults over age 60 years. An ethnic difference was also observed, with the highest prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Mexican-Americans (32%). According to Dr. Michael Jensen, Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO), "These figures should be very alarming to both clinicians and public health officials because the metabolic syndrome conveys a high risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes."

It is widely recognized that obesity is a major factor in the development of the metabolic syndrome. According to the CDC researchers, the "cornerstones of treatment [of the metabolic syndrome] are weight management and ensuring appropriate levels of physical activity". They further state that "the high prevalence of this syndrome underscores the urgent need to develop comprehensive efforts directed at controlling the obesity epidemic".

NAASO, the leading scientific society dedicated to the study of obesity, has been working in a number of ways to address the obesity epidemic in the U.S. However, with these new figures on the metabolic syndrome prevalence, several issues become even more pressing. While patients can obtain insurance coverage for medication to treat diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension, third party payers often do not cover weight loss therapy. Thus, the underlying cause of the metabolic abnormalities, i.e. obesity, frequently goes untreated. NAASO believes that reimbursement for obesity treatment is a priority and has worked with Congress, the Surgeon General's Office, and the USDA on this issue. Until those who could derive objective health benefits from weight loss treatment can afford to receive it, the epidemic of obesity-related complications, such as the metabolic syndrome will continue to grow.

A second issue is training and educating primary care physicians in the treatment of obesity. Recent studies such as the NIH-sponsored Diabetes Prevention Program have shown that a low-fat diet and physical activity are effective at delaying or preventing the development of diabetes in people with the metabolic syndrome. However, implementation of diet and exercise programs in a primary care office setting requires specialized training. NAASO and its members are working to deliver this training to physicians in the coming year.

The North American Society for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) is a leading scientific society dedicated to the study of obesity. NAASO is committed to encouraging research on the causes, treatment and prevention of obesity and to keeping the scientific community and public informed of new advances in the field.