To prevent metabolic syndrome, attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Diet
- Chronic overeating
- High caloric intake ↑↑ [due toobesity, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia (LDL elevation)]
- High proportion of saturated fatty acids (↑) [due toobesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, hypercholesterolemia (LDL elevation)]
- High proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (↑) [due toobesity]
- High proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids ? [due toobesity ?]
- High sugar consumption, esp. mono- and disaccharides (simple and multiple sugars) [due toobesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2].
- High consumption of table salt ? [due toobesity?, hypertension]
- High alcohol intake (↑) [due toobesity?]
- Too low a proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids [diabetes mellitus type 2, hypercholesterolemia (LDL elevation)].
- Too low a proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids [diabetes mellitus type 2, hypercholesterolemia (LDL elevation)]
- Low proportion of complex carbohydrates [due toobesity, diabetes mellitus type 2]
- Low fiber diet [due toobesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, hypercholesterolemia (LDL elevation)]
- High intake of sodium and table salt [due tohypertension]
- Micronutrient deficiency (vital substances) – see prevention with micronutrients.
- Chronic overeating
- Pleasure food consumption
- Alcohol (woman: > 20 g/day; man: > 30 g/day).
- Tobacco (smoking)
- Physical activity
- Physical inactivity
- Psycho-social situation
- Psychological conflicts
- Stress
- Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity).
- Android body fat distribution, that is, abdominal/visceral, truncal, central body fat (apple type) – there is a high waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio (THQ; waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)). When measuring waist circumference according to the International Diabetes Federation guideline (IDF, 2005), the following standard values apply:
- Men < 94 cm
- Women < 80 cm
The German Obesity Society published somewhat more moderate figures for waist circumference in 2006: < 102 cm for men and < 88 cm for women.
Prevention factors (protective factors)
- Genetic factors:
- Genetic risk reduction depending on gene polymorphisms:
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Gene: MC4R
- SNP: rs2229616 in gene MC4R
- Allele constellation: AG (0.46-fold decreased risk for developing metabolic syndrome)
- Allele constellation: AA (0.46-fold decreased risk for developing a metabolic syndrome)
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Genetic risk reduction depending on gene polymorphisms: