ABSTRACT
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been increasingly recognized over the last two decades, beginning with the description of insulin resistance syndrome, also known as syndrome X (Reaven, 1988). MetS is the combination of abdominal obesity with two out of three of dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. The cutoff values used in dening MetS have been modied over the years (Table 15.1; National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, 2001; Alberti et al., 2005, 2009). The number of people with MetS has increased over the last two decades, an increase that is directly associated with the increased prevalence of obesity (Zimmet et al., 2001). It is estimated that MetS affects 10%–25% of adults globally, although in some countries the percentage can be as high as 50% or 60% (Eckel et al., 2005). MetS increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease by ve-and twofold, respectively (Ford, 2005; Galassi et al., 2006; Gami et al., 2007; Ford et al., 2008; Li et al., 2008; Mottillo et al., 2010; Wild and Byrne, 2011) (Figure 15.1). Hence, strategies to delay or slow the development of MetS or to treat its components are very valuable since they will reduce the risk of future severe disease and the associated personal, social, healthcare, and economic costs. Various pharmaceutical interventions are used to control, with signicant success, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia, so lowering future disease burden (Haneeld et al., 2011). However, diet plays a signicant role in predisposition to obesity and also contributes to the development of dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. Hence, dietary
15.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................249 15.2 Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids .................................................................................250
