Mixed

Persistent metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the development of MetS over time are associated with a significantly increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF), with risk increasing proportionally to the number of MetS components.

Maintaining metabolic health is critical for preventing atrial fibrillation. If you have metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low HDL, or abdominal obesity), your risk of AF is significantly higher. Even if you improve your metabolic health later, your risk remains higher than someone who was always metabolically healthy, though it is lower than if you had kept the syndrome. The best strategy is to prevent MetS from developing in the first place, especially if you are young or middle-aged.