Governments and health care providers have to face the emerging
health burden of MetS. Depending upon the viewpoint, this
burden can be evaluated according to its economical or epidemiological
impact (Yach et al., 2006). In general, the prevalence of MetS
is increasing (Ford et al., 2004), this in turn is accompanied with
the increasing prevalence of both obese and ageing populations.
For example, the age-adjusted prevalence of MetS in US adults
ranges between 34.6% and 39.1% (depending on the definition
used), whereas it is more common with increasing age (Ford,
2005).