title: [The metabolic syndrome does not exist].
abstract: The combination of a masculine type of fat distribution, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs more often in individuals than on the basis of chance alone. Two reasons to call a clustering of clinical signs and symptoms a syndrome are that this leads to improved diagnosis and prognosis in individuals and that the syndrome provides insight into the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. However, individuals with the metabolic syndrome have no appreciably higher risk of coronary disease than would be expected from the presence of the individual risk factors. In addition, individuals with the syndrome may manifest many different subsets of risk factors, a sign of obscure pathophysiology. Finally, there is no treatment for the metabolic syndrome other than treatment for each of its components. Therefore, the metabolic syndrome does not exist.
authors.affiliation: Vrije Universiteit, Faculteit Aard- en Levenswetenschappen, afd. Voeding en Gezondheid, De Boelelaan, HV Amsterdam. jaap.seidell@falw.vu.nl
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Seidell
mesh_terms: D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors