BOSTON, April 13 (UPI) -- Harvard University scientists say China is facing an increasing cardiovascular epidemic as more Chinese adopt Western diets and lifestyles.
"The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in this Asian population and the prevalence is about to catch up with that in Western populations," said Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health.
The researchers -- including lead author Dr. Yao He of Harvard and the PLA General Hospital in Beijing -- interviewed and examined 2,334 people age 60 years or older living in the Beijing metropolitan area.
Nearly half the patients had metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of five risk factors: central obesity, as defined by waist circumference; high blood pressure; low HDL, the so-called "good" cholesterol; high levels of triglycerides; and high blood sugar.
"There have been some reports from developing countries, including China, on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, but this is actually the first study to look at the urban elderly population in a systematic way and to document not only the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, but also its relationship with cardiovascular disease," Hu said.
The research is detailed in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
