Strong Parent–Offspring Association of Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Families

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components between adolescents and their parents in Korea. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed data for 4,657 subjects (1,404 fathers, 1,404 mothers, 957 sons, and 892 daughters) from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted between 1998 and 2008. RESULTS: Compared with adolescents whose parents did not have MetS, the odds ratio (95% CI) for MetS in adolescents with MetS in one parent was 4.2 (2.1–8.5) and 8.7 (3.4–22.3) in those with MetS in both parents. Among obese adolescents, the prevalence of MetS was 18.2% without parental MetS, whereas 29.2% of obese adolescents with MetS in one parent and 53.9% with MetS in both parents also had MetS (P = 0.01 for trend). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of MetS increased significantly in adolescents with parental MetS and was especially high in those with coexisting obesity and parental MetS.