Health Reports, September 2025

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Canadian adults

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a medical condition defined by the presence of a group of factors that increase the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Its components include abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low "good" cholesterol and high triglycerides. Recent research shows that having MetS doubles the risk of heart problems and multiplies the risk of diabetes by five.

The study "Metabolic syndrome in Canadian adults, 2007 to 2019," provides an updated prevalence of MetS and its components among Canadian adults aged 18 to 79 years, by age group and sex. The study, using the most recent available data (2016 to 2019), also examines trends in the prevalence of MetS and its components over time in this population from 2007 to 2019.

The results show that just over one in four Canadian adults (26%) had MetS from 2016 to 2019. The prevalence of MetS was similar between men (27%) and women (25%), but it increased significantly with age, rising from 11% in young adults (18 to 39 years) to 30% in adults aged 40 to 59 years and to 44% in older adults (60 to 79 years). In the older adults age group, MetS was more common for men (51%) than women (38%). Overall, the prevalence of MetS in Canadian adults stayed about the same from 2007 to 2019.

Results also indicated that among Canadian adults with MetS in the period from 2016 to 2019, the most common risk factor was abdominal obesity (92%). This was followed by high blood sugar (71%) and low "good" cholesterol (66%), which is also known as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. About 1 in 3 Canadian adults (32%) had no MetS risk factors, but 1 in 10 (11%) had four or five, and this proportion rose sharply with age. All components of MetS became more common as people got older, except for low "good" cholesterol, which became less common with age.

These findings highlight the importance of continued monitoring of abdominal obesity and related risk factors in Canada.

Metabolic health, body mass index and health outcomes among Canadian adults

Obesity is linked to higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and mortality, but these risks can vary with metabolic health. Looking at obesity and metabolic dysfunction together helps identify high-risk groups more accurately than studying them separately. A new article released today in Health Reports, "Metabolic health and body mass index phenotypes in adults," explores categories that combine a person's metabolic health status (healthy or unhealthy) with their body mass index (BMI) (which is indicative of obesity, overweight or normal weight). It is the first study to provide national estimates of the prevalence of these categories among adults in Canada that also examines the characteristics and health outcomes they are associated with.

The study found a strong association between being metabolically unhealthy and having a higher BMI over the period from 2014 to 2019. Being metabolically unhealthy was defined as the presence of at least three out of five of these components: elevated triglycerides, reduced high-density lipoprotein, elevated waist circumference, elevated blood pressure and elevated fasting glucose. More than half of adults (aged 20 to 79 years) with obesity were classified as being metabolically unhealthy, rising to nearly three in four among adults aged 60 to 79 years.

Health outcomes differed by category. Compared with metabolically healthy adults with normal weight, metabolically unhealthy adults with overweight were three times more likely to report having poor or fair general health, while metabolically unhealthy adults with obesity were four times more likely. Systemic inflammation was more common among adults with overweight or obesity, regardless of metabolic health status. However, metabolically unhealthy adults with overweight or obesity had an even higher likelihood of inflammation than their metabolically healthy counterparts.

These findings suggest that considering metabolic health and BMI together can improve identification of health risks. A better understanding and monitoring of this joint indicator can inform public health awareness and health promotion strategies.