Symptoms and Complications
In general, few people have any noticeable signs or symptoms. However, the main characteristics of metabolic syndrome are:
- excess body weight (usually around the stomach)
- high blood pressure
- low level of good cholesterol in the blood
- high level of triglycerides (fats) in the blood
- resistance to insulin (high blood sugar)
Although you may not notice any changes in the way you feel, having metabolic syndrome dramatically increases the risk of serious health problems including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In fact, the more health risks you have, the more likely you are to develop these conditions.