Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the relationship between risk factors and body mass index in young adults

Background: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the prevalence of MSand its components, as well as to verify whether the body mass index is a predictor of the components of metabolic syndrome and to identify which factors best identify MS in young adults. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, carried out with 111 young people. For the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, waist circumference (WC), triglycerides (TG), blood glucose (BG), blood pressure (BP), and HDL-c were evaluated. Results: It was found that the prevalence of MS was 3.6%, and the most prevalent factor was HDL-c low (33.3%). Young people classified as pre-obese/obese presented greater WC (∆=13.5 cm, p<0.001), systolic BP (∆=6 mmHg, p=0.01), diastolic BP (∆=8 mmHg, p<0.001), and higher plasma concentration of TG (∆=24 mg/dL, p=0.036). BMI was shown to be a predictor of waist circumference, explaining 74% (p<0.001) of the relationship, followed by systolic (R²=38%, p<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (R²=26%, p<0.001) and serum triglyceride concentration (p=0.007). The principal components analysis indicated BP, WC, and TG (explaining 34% of MS and eigenvalues >0,40)as the set of variables that best identified the syndrome. Conclusions: Prevalence of MS was lower than indicated in the literature for young adults of the same age group.