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It’s important to take care of your heart, from your diet to physical activity, and that’s especially the case if you have conditions that directly affect your ticker.
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What the Study Found
Both those with metabolic syndrome and a control group of 10,168 people without metabolic syndrome were identified, and 47% of total participants were women. In an average follow-up of 27 years, non-fatal cardiovascular events—including heart attack and stroke—occurred in 32% of the participants with metabolic syndrome compared to 22% in the control group. This showcases a greater heart attack and stroke risk for those with metabolic syndrome in this study.
Plus, for those that experienced a heart attack or stroke in this study, the median time for the first non-fatal event was 16.8 years after the initial screening for those with metabolic syndrome, compared to 19.1 years for the control group. This 2.3-year difference means that the metabolic syndrome group was prone to have a heart attack or stroke earlier in life than the control group.
“As metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors, the level of each individual component does not have to be severely raised,” study author Dr. Lena Lönnberg saidin the release. “In fact, most people live with slightly raised levels for many years before having symptoms that lead them to seek health care.”
The combination of these conditions is what causes the increased risk, but Lönnberg notes the importance of keeping blood pressure in check.
The Bottom Line
While this study showed that metabolic syndrome increases risk for heart attacks and stroke, there are healthy lifestyle choices you can make to reduce this risk.
“The results underline the importance of early detection of risk factors through health screening programmes so that preventive actions can be taken to prevent heart attack, stroke and premature death,” Lönnberg said. “As a general rule of thumb, even if you feel well, check your blood pressure every year, avoid smoking, keep an eye on your waist circumference and last, but definitely not least, be physically active every day.”
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