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Prevalence of The Metabolic Syndrome in the United Arab Emirates
Author(s) -
AlSarraj Taif,
Saadi Hussain,
Volek Jeff S,
Fernandez Maria Luz
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.1083.10
Subject(s) - medicine , metabolic syndrome , waist , diabetes mellitus , blood pressure , anthropometry , population , obesity , insulin resistance , sedentary lifestyle , lipid profile , endocrinology , environmental health
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the highest in the world. This has been attributed to a sedentary lifestyle related to recent affluence leading to obesity and insulin resistance. We evaluated a population‐based sample of Emirati subjects to determine the presence of the metabolic syndrome and the risk for cardiovascular disease in this population. Anthropometrics, fasting venous glucose and lipids, and blood pressure were measured in 309 subjects who were not known to have diabetes mellitus (98 men, 215 women; mean age 38.3 ± 14.6 yrs). Mean (SD) fasting levels (mmol/L) were 5.5 ± 1.0 for glucose, 3.5 ± 1.0 for LDL cholesterol, 1.1 ± 0.3 for HDL cholesterol, and 1.0 ± 0.6 for triglycerides. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were 119 ± 16 and 71 ± 10 mm of Hg, respectively. Mean waist circumference was 87 ± 14 cm. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome based on the modified ATP III criteria was 25.2%. Most subjects led a sedentary lifestyle and only a minority (34%) reported that they had performed any form of exercise at least once in the previous 2 weeks. Diet analysis indicated that subjects take a diet high in carbohydrate with rice and dates being major food components. These results indicate that this population is at high risk for cardiovascular disease and other complications associated with diabetes. Results from this baseline evaluation suggest that subjects from this population would benefit from a dietary intervention including carbohydrate restriction.