Metabolic Syndrome or Insulin Resistance: Evolution, Controversies and Association With Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Metabolic syndrome is a clinical entity characterized by abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, and hypertension (HT). Despite various attempts at definition, the syndrome has remained mired in controversy over its components and utility. Insulin resistance and its association with risk of cardiovascular disease are discussed at length in this article. This review also discusses the controversies in the definition of this syndrome, the unique role of insulin resistance in its development, and the causes and implications of this clustering of risk factors characteristic to it, along with suggestions for a more comprehensive approach to this common problem.