While the metabolic syndrome is difficult to diagnose, INRAE researchers have made a major discovery in this area.
- The metabolic syndrome, characterized by an association of abnormalities, is difficult to identify because of its heterogeneity.
- This is why it is essential to develop tools to facilitate diagnosis.
French researchers from INRAE have just discovered a biological signature sufficient to guide the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, which affects more than 20% of French people.
A singular signature of 26 metabolites
To achieve these promising results published in The Lancet, the researchers analyzed blood samples from 123 elderly men (68 to 82 years old) from the Quebec NuAge cohort, 3 years apart. And among the thousands of signals that were screened in this large-scale study, no less than 476 metabolites and lipids were found to be disturbed when a patient suffers from this syndrome. Scientists derive a singular signature of 26 metabolites.
But their work did not stop there. The data provided by the Quebec cohort includes a lot of different information about the participants, such as their eating habits, their lifestyle, their physical activity…. And scientists show links between diet, gut microbiota, metabolic signature, and diagnosis of the syndrome.
Towards new diagnostic tools
“This proof of concept opens the door to new, more robust and precise diagnostic tools”, comments INRAE in a press release. “Facilitating the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome will limit the risk of serious complications such as stroke, cardiovascular problems or type 2 diabetes”, conclude the researchers. Additional work will make it possible to establish a simplified procedure for integrating this approach into routine.
The metabolic syndrome is an association of biological disturbances. These are linked to the presence of excess fat inside the belly. We speak of metabolic syndrome when at least three of the following five abnormalities are present:
– a large waist circumference (>102 cm for men);
– excess sugar in the blood (hyperglycaemia);
– high blood pressure;
– an excess of triglycerides in the blood (hypertriglyceridaemia);
– a low level of cholesterol-HDL (“good” cholesterol).
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