Parent's Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Mass, and Chronic Disease Status Is Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Genetics
• Cardiology

Background:

• Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is a cluster of conditions increasing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Intergenerational health links, particularly between parental lifestyle and offspring metabolic health, require further investigation.
• Understanding these associations can inform targeted public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between parental weight, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and disease status and the prevalence of MetSyn in young adult offspring.
• To identify specific parental risk factors that predict MetSyn in their offspring.
• To inform early identification and intervention strategies for at-risk young adults.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 270 young adults (aged 21 ± 1 years, 53.3% female).
• Assessment of MetSyn in offspring.
• Self-reported parental data on body mass status, CRF, and disease status.
• Statistical analysis to determine associations between parental factors and offspring MetSyn.

Main Results:

• MetSyn was present in 11.9% of young adults; 27.4% had one or two MetSyn components.
• Young adults with MetSyn were significantly more likely to report at least one parent as overweight/obese (93.9%), having low CRF (84.8%), or having a disease diagnosis (87.9%).
• Parental elevated body mass, low CRF, and disease history were strongly associated with offspring MetSyn.

Conclusions:

• Offspring MetSyn is more probable when parents exhibit increased body mass, low CRF, and a history of disease.
• Targeted screening of young adults with parents having these risk factors is recommended.
• Early identification and intervention in at-risk offspring may reduce future premature CVD.