A high prevalence of metabolic syndrome has been found in adults over the age of 50 in Ireland.

According to new research from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), 40% of the over-50s population in Ireland meet the diagnostic criteria for this syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for a combination of at least three of the following conditions - obesity, high blood glucose levels, high blood pressure, low levels of protective forms of cholesterol and high levels of harmful forms of cholesterol. It is a known risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and cancer and it increases the risk of all-cause mortality by 60%. 

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome had not been described in older adults from a population-representative sample in a European country before. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the syndrome in older adults in Ireland and examine the association between it and socio-demographic, health and lifestyle factors. It used data from waves 1 and 3 of TILDA.

The research found that 40% of people over the age of 50 could be classified as having the syndrome and of these, three in four were overweight or obese. Furthermore, people were 71% more likely to have metabolic syndrome if they undertook low levels of physical activity.

According to the study’s first author, Dr Kevin McCarthy, these findings highlight how common metabolic syndrome is among older adults in Ireland.

“Apart from the very high levels of obesity, what struck me was the strong associations metabolic syndrome had with many of the modifiable risk factors for dementia,” he noted.

Meanwhile, according to the study’s senior author, Prof Rose Anne Kenny, this is the first large population-representative study to report the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in older adults in Ireland “and highlights what is potentially a very large public health problem given the known strong associations metabolic syndrome has with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and overall death rates”.

“Those who took part in the TILDA health assessment at wave 1 were informed of their BMI and what that related to, in terms of being overweight, obese etc., but despite this, lifestyle behaviours did not change dramatically and the numbers meeting the criteria for metabolic syndrome increased by 20% among participants four years later.

“We need novel ways to communicate these important health messages so that they are meaningful to people,” Prof Kenny said.

The study is published in the journal, PLOS One, and can be viewed here.