Discrepancies in occurrence of metabolic disturbances related to gender among young people

Background. Metabolic disturbances are the most establishing risk factors for cardiovascular diseases at an elderly age. Early identification and behavioral or pharmacological treatment of metabolic abnormalities is the best way to prevent cardiovascular incidents in the future.

Objectives. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of the metabolic disturbances and metabolic syndrome among young, apparently healthy, Polish people.

Material and methods. 292 apparently healthy people (71 males and 221 females) aged 18–31 years participated in this study. The following variables were analyzed: height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, fasting glucose and lipid profiles. The diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome according to the International Diabetes Federation (2009) were used.

Results. The prevalence of metabolic disturbances was from 6.5% (19) for Diastolic Blood Pressure ≥ 90 mm Hg up to 20.2% (59) for LDL-cholesterol ≥ 3.0 mmol/L in all participants. After dividing in subgroups of male and female, the most frequently observed were LDL hypercholesterolemia 33.8% (24) and 15.8% (35), respectively. Metabolic syndrome was observed in 10.3% (30) of the total studied group, and there was a significant difference between male – 31% (22), and female – 3.6% (8). Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was associated with overweight and obesity only in males.

Conclusions. The prevalence of metabolic disturbances and metabolic syndrome was found in a large proportion of the studied group, and a substantial discrepancy between males and females was observed. All types of disturbances were more often met in males. These observations could be useful when carring out different health promotion strategies for young people in Poland.