Familial aggregation of the metabolic syndrome in Korean families with adolescents

We investigated the familial aggregation of the metabolic syndrome in Korean families with adolescents. In a cross-sectional observational study, the body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, serum triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol and fasting insulin concentrations, and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) score, were examined in each individual in 132 Korean nuclear families. Most variables of the metabolic syndrome in offspring were significantly correlated with those of parents. Compared with sons, daughters had more significant difference for the metabolic parameters according to clustering of risk factors of their parents. Especially, daughters showed higher correlations with their parents for waist circumference, with their mothers for fasting glucose and HDL-cholesterol, and with their fathers for fasting insulin than sons. Compared with children whose parents did not have the metabolic syndrome, the odds ratios in children with at least one parent with the metabolic syndrome were 4.1 (1.6–10.6) for overweight, 3.6 (1.3–10.2) for abdominal obesity, 5.0 (2.0–12.3) for high triglycerides, and 4.8 (1.1–21.0) for the metabolic syndrome. We also observed significant correlations in variables of the metabolic syndrome between siblings and between spouses. In Korean families with adolescents, there is a familial aggregation of the metabolic syndrome, with daughters resembling their parents more than sons. These findings may have significant implications for clinical interventions directed at adolescents at high risk for the metabolic syndrome.