Still, he said, the rates would remain significant—as would the fact that “metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance do predict diabetes and heart disease.”
Metabolic Syndrome: Not Just for Teens Anymore
Nearly 4% of children ages 5–11 years, and 17% of overweight children, met criteria for metabolic syndrome in a separate analysis performed by Dr. Cook and his associates.
Here they used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, which spanned from 1988 to 1994, rather than the more recent NHANES data that they used for their study of adolescents.
The more recent survey data did not contain enough of the elements needed to evaluate age-specific criteria for metabolic syndrome for children under 8 years of age, explained Dr. Cook.
Although the data are older, the study is the first to document metabolic syndrome in a national sample of children, he said.
Another study reported recently at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine documented metabolic syndrome in as many as 5% of 7- to 9-year-olds in Kansas. (“Insulin Resistance in 5% of Youngsters,” July 1, 2005, p. 1).
The NHANES study did not reveal any significant differences in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome by age, region of the country, or poverty level.
Gender and ethnic differences were significant, however. Almost 3% of boys and 6% of girls met criteria for the syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome was also identified in approximately 7% of Mexican Americans, 5% of whites, and 3% of African Americans.
Less than 1% of normal-weight children met the criteria, as opposed to 6% of those at risk for overweight, and 17% of overweight children.
Among overweight children, 41% had one risk factor for the syndrome, and 24% had two risk factors, Dr. Cook reported.