There is an ethnic variation in this prevalence. The overall values are similar in men and women (24.0% versus 23.4%), but for African-American and Mexican-American women, the prevalence was 57% versus 31% for the men. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is increasing and is likely to lead to increases in the incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Ford et al. 2004). The metabolic syndrome is also a prevalent problem in other parts of the world (Table 2.10).