A critical reflection on the definition of metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome (visceral obesity, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia, and hypertension), has become one of the major public-health challenges worldwide. There has been growing interest in this constellation of closely related cardiovascular risk factors. Recently, definition and relevance of this syndrome have been questioned. In the present review we analyze in detail the epistemological issues regarding definition and the methodological approaches to definition of the metabolic syndrome. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.