The metabolic syndrome associated with abdominal obesity which includes insulin resistance dyslipidemia and elevated crp levels identifies subjects who have an increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The overall prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 387 percent in moderately obese subjects and 497 percent in severely obese subjects no overweight or nonobese subject met the criteria for . Epidemic obesity and the metabolic syndrome epidemic obesity and the metabolic syndrome epidemic obesity and the metabolic syndrome circulation 2003 sep 30108131541 5 doi 101161 01cir000008884517586ec authors steven haffner 1 heinrich taegtmeyer affiliation 1 . Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for developing the metabolic syndrome and have in recent years become the major world wide nutritional challenge affecting both children and adults in countries with both high and low incomes obesity arises primarily from the need for energy storage when dietary energy intake exceeds energy expenditure