ATP III Definition

Any three or more of the following criteria:

1. Waist circumference >102 cm (>40 in) in men and >88 cm (>35 in) in women

2. Serum triglycerides >/=150 mg/dL (>/=1.7 mmol/L)

3. Blood pressure >/=130/85 mm Hg

4. HDL-Cholesterol <40 mg/dL (<1.0 mmol/L) in men and <50 mg/dL (<1.3 mmol/L) in women

5. Fasting glucose 110 to 126 mg/dL (6.1 to 7.0 mmol/L) (100 mg/dL [>/=5.6 mmol/L] may be applicable)

WHO Definition

Diabetes, IFP, IGT or insulin resistance (assessed by clamp studies) and at least two of the following criteria:

1. Waist-to-hip ratio >0.90 in men or >0.85 in women.

2. Serum triglycerides 150 mg/dL (>/=1.7 mmol/l) or HDL cholesterol <36 mg/dL (<0.9 mmol/l) in men and <40 mg/dL (<1.0 mmol/l) in women.

3. Blood pressure >/= 140/90 mmHg

4. Urinary albumin excretion rate >20 mcg/min or albumin to creatinine ratio >/= 30 mg/g

IFG; Impaired Fasting Glucose
IGT; Impaired Glucose Tolerance

The new International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition

According to the new IDF definition, for a person to be defined as having the metabolic syndrome they must have:

• Central obesity (defined as waist circumference >/= 94cm for Europid men and >/= 80cm for Europid women, with ethnicity specific values for other groups)

Plus any two of the following four factors:

1. Raised triglycerides (TG) level: >/=  150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L), or specific treatment for this lipid abnormality

2. Reduced HDL cholesterol: < 40 mg/dL (1.03 mmol/L) in males and < 50 mg/dL (1.29 mmol/L) in females, or specific treatment for this lipid abnormality

3. Raised blood pressure: systolic BP >/=  130 or diastolic BP >/=  85 mm Hg, or treatment of previously diagnosed hypertension

4. Raised fasting plasma glucose (FPG) >/=  100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L), or previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes. If above 5.6 mmol/L or 100 mg/dL, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is strongly recommended but is not necessary to define presence of the syndrome.