Metabolic Syndrome in Focus: Emerging Causes, New Diagnostic Approaches and Criteria, and Long-Term Health Consequences.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic methodology or quantitative meta-analysis
PubMed 41658698 · doi:10.7759/cureus.101012
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative literature review searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for epidemiological studies, meta-analyses, and clinical studies published between 2000 and 2025. The review evaluated the pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnostic criteria, and clinical associations connecting metabolic syndrome to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, effect sizes, relative risks, or study counts. It qualitatively reports that metabolic syndrome increases the risk of both malignancies and cardiovascular disorders through mechanisms including chronic low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance with activation of insulin-like growth factor signaling pathways, dysregulated lipid metabolism, and endothelial dysfunction.
Why it matters
The paper frames metabolic syndrome as a common, modifiable driver linking oncologic and cardiovascular diseases, highlighting combined targets for lifestyle and pharmacological management.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks a formal systematic search protocol, risk of bias assessment, or quantitative data synthesis. The abstract does not report the number of studies reviewed or any quantitative outcome metrics.
Cited by
- context There are at least 31 distinct diseases causally or pathophysiologically connected to insulin resistance.