Lifestyle habits and physical capacity in patients with moderate or severe metabolic syndrome

Metabolic is a heterogeneous concept that includes five elements, each of which has individual thresholds that might be different when considered as a criterion in the metabolic syndrome. Therefore, some individuals might present different levels of metabolic syndrome. This study aims to identify two different severities of patients with metabolic syndrome-moderate versus severe-and the respective association of these severities with lifestyle habits and physical capacity.

The sample included 2,281 adults aged between 19 and 85 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study. Subjects were subcategorized into three groups: No metabolic syndrome, moderate metabolic syndrome, or severe metabolic syndrome. Physical activity and dietary habits were assessed by questionnaires. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was measured in adults aged <50 years, whereas physical capacity was measured in adults ≥50 years of age.

Thirty-eight percent of subjects had metabolic syndrome. From those, 15.3% had severe metabolic syndrome. No difference was observed among groups for energy intake. Subjects aged <50 years having severe metabolic syndrome had a lower CRF compared with moderate metabolic syndrome, whereas subjects ≥50 years reported less vigorous exercise (P≤0.05). Finally, subjects aged ≥50 years old having severe metabolic syndrome reported more physical incapacity compared to the other groups.

This study confirms that metabolic syndrome is a heterogeneous condition that may be subclassified. Severe metabolic syndrome is associated with lower physical capacity and CRF compared to moderate metabolic syndrome. Studies are needed to determine if metabolic syndrome categorization can be useful for clinical practice.