Doubts Raised Over "Metabolic Syndrome"

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's top two diabetes organizations are questioning the existence of "metabolic syndrome", a medical condition much in the news lately.

The American Diabetes Association and European Association for the Study of Diabetes said in a joint statement on Thursday that metabolic syndrome -- which has come to be seen as a predictor of cardiovascular disease and diabetes -- was poorly defined, inconsistently used and in need of further research.

Doctors should not diagnose people with the "syndrome" or treat it as a separate condition until the science behind it is clear, according to a paper to be published in the September issue of Diabetes Care and Diabetologia.

"There is no combination of risk factors that boosts a person's cardiovascular risk beyond the sum of the parts, or constitutes a separate disease," said Dr. Ele Ferrannini, president of the European diabetes association.

Metabolic syndrome is often defined as applying to anyone with three or more of the following conditions -- a large waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, low levels of HDL "good" cholesterol and high blood glucose.

A large and growing section of the population in North America and Europe are covered by such a definition, reflecting the increasing problem of obesity in developed countries.

Taken individually, all of the above conditions can be considered a risk factor for heart disease, the two associations said. But they should each be treated separately, and doctors should not try to prescribe treatments for the "syndrome" until new, solid evidence is obtained.