Trajectories of entering the metabolic syndrome: the framingham heart study.

Background: We evaluated the progression of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components, the trajectories followed by individuals entering MetS, and the manner in which different trajectories predict cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Methods And Results: Using data from 3078 participants from the Framingham Offspring Study (a cohort study) who attended examinations 4 (1987), 5 (1991), and 6 (1995), we evaluated the progression of MetS and its components. MetS was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria.