Metabolic syndrome refers to having a collection of risk factors. It’s not technically a disease on its own. It means you have at least three of the following:
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
Abdominal obesity (increased weight circumference)
High triglycerides
Low HDL cholesterol (that’s the “good” kind of cholesterol)
References
MedlinePlus. (2024). Metabolic syndrome.
Moore J. X., et al. (2017). Metabolic syndrome prevalence by race/ethnicity and sex in the United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–2012. Preventing Chronic Disease.
Swarup, S., et al. (2024). Metabolic syndrome. StatPearls.
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Written by:
Lauren Smith, MALauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.
Reviewed by:
Sanjai Sinha, MDSanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.
