Table 3.

American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute metabolic syndrome diagnostic criteria

Measure	Categorical cut points
Elevated waist circumference1	Population and country specific definition
Elevated triglycerides	≥ 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) or drug treatment for high triglycerides (i.e., fibrates or nicotinic acid)
Low HDL-C2	< 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L) in males
	< 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) in females
	Or drug treatment for low HDL-C (i.e., fibrates or nicotinic acid)
Elevated blood pressure	Systolic ≥ 130 mmHg
	Diastolic ≥ 85 mmHg
	Or drug treatment for hypertension
Elevated fasting glucose	≥ 100 mg/dL
	Or drug treatment for elevated glucose

¹Waist circumference for abdominal obesity by different organization for each population or country specific: (1) Asian (WHO) ≥ 90 cm men or ≥ 80 cm women; (2) Japanese (Japanese obesity society) ≥ 85 cm men or ≥ 90 cm women; (3) China (Cooperative Task Force) ≥ 85 cm men or ≥ 80 cm women; (4) Mediterranean and Middle East (Arab) population (IDF) ≥ 94 cm men or ≥ 80 cm women; (5) United States (AHA/NHLBI) ≥ 102 cm men or ≥ 88 cm women; (6) South and Central American (WHO) ≥ 90 cm men or ≥ 80 cm women; (7) European (European Cardiovascular Societies) ≥ 102 cm men or ≥ 88 cm women; and (8) Sub-Saharan African (IDF) ≥ 94 cm men or ≥ 80 cm women;

²High density lipoprotein cholesterol indicates high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Adapted from Alberti et al[74]. AHA/NHLBI: American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; WHO: World Health Organization; IDF: International diabetes federation.