An estimated one in four adults worldwide has metabolic syndrome. While metabolic syndrome is most often thought of as a warning sign that diabetes or cardiovascular disease may be on the horizon, my team’s new study suggests that its consequences reach further – and it actually may be accelerating the ageing of the brain.
Metabolic syndrome is not a single disease. Rather, it’s a cluster of interrelated risk factors, including high blood sugar, high blood pressure, excess belly fat, low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and high triglycerides (blood fats). A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome means having at least three of the five components. Each of these risk factors raises health risks on its own, but together they compound one another.
