Metabolic syndrome in Canadian adults, 2007 to 2019

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study provides an updated prevalence of MetS and its components among Canadian adults aged 18 to 79 years in the period from 2016 to 2019 by age group and sex. It also examines trends in the prevalence of MetS and its components over time in this population from 2007 to 2019.

This study used direct health measures data from cycles 1 to 6 (2007 to 2019) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey. MetS was defined as the presence of at least three of the following components: elevated waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, high blood pressure, and elevated fasting blood glucose.

In the period from 2016 to 2019, 26.1% of Canadian adults aged 18 to 79 years had MetS. The prevalence of MetS was similar among females (25.2%) and males (27.0%) and increased with age, from 11.1% for those aged 18 to 39 years to 44.3% for those aged 60 to 79 years. The prevalence of MetS remained stable from the 2007-to-2011 period to the 2016-to-2019 period. Among individuals with MetS in the period from 2016 to 2019, high waist circumference was the most common component (90.0%), followed by high fasting blood glucose (70.6%) and low HDL cholesterol (65.8%). The prevalence of all components of MetS increased with age, except for low HDL cholesterol, which significantly decreased with age.

The prevalence of MetS among adults has remained stable over time in Canada. Low HDL cholesterol seems to be the leading component of MetS among young adults.