Research
Hormonal
Abdominal obesity (measured by waist circumference) is the most critical underlying risk factor for metabolic syndrome, serving as a strong proxy for insulin resistance and visceral fat accumulation.
Track your waist circumference, not just your weight. For men, a waist over 40 inches (102 cm) and for women over 35 inches (88 cm) indicates high risk. For Asian populations, lower thresholds (35 inches for men, 31.5 inches for women) apply. Reducing waist size is the most effective way to lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
The predominant underlying risk factors for the syndrome appear to be abdominal obesity and insulin resistance... Abnormalities in adipose tissue metabolism may be the crux of the issue.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple citations and consensus among expert groups.
Source
Diagnosis and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome
Scott M. Grundy et al. · Circulation · 2005
DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.105.169404
clinical_guidelineCited 11,770×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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