In the United States, 40 to 45% of those over 60 years of age have the metabolic syndrome (1,2,3), and this percentage, based on estimates of the increasing prevalence ofexcess body weight and the more comprehensive diagnostic criteria for the syndrome, is likely to exceed 60% in newer survey analyses. Children and adolescents, too, are being affected by the metabolic syndrome, in parallel with the increasing prevalence of overweight in young people, now estimated to include 16% of those age 6 to 19 years. Clinicians see with increasing frequency that routine office visits demonstrate the...

In the United States, 40 to 45% of those over 60 years of age have the metabolic syndrome (1,2,3), and this percentage, based on estimates of the increasing prevalence ofexcess body weight and the more comprehensive diagnostic criteria for the syndrome, is likely to exceed 60% in newer survey analyses. Children and adolescents, too, are being affected by the metabolic syndrome, in parallel with the increasing prevalence of overweight in young people, now estimated to include 16% of those age 6 to 19 years. Clinicians see with increasing frequency that routine office visits demonstrate the...