The relationship between stressful life events and prevalence of metabolic syndrom in family members of type 2 diabetics

¯Abstract: Background: Some evidences suggest a possible relationship between enviromental stresses and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS). Objctive: To investigate the association between major stressful life events and the prevalence of MS. Methods: In this Cross-sectional study, the 35-55 years old first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetics were included. The questionairs of stressful life events, physical activity and basic characteristics were completed. Also, the waist circumference, blood pressure, FBS, TG, Chol, and HDL were measured. MS was defined according to ATP III criteria and the number of stresses was compared between two groups of participants with and without MS. Findings: Among 439 participants, the prevalence of MS was 26.8%. The mean number of stresses in MS and non-MS groups were (3.82±2.67) and (3.14±2.35), respectively. The difference was found to be significant, statistically (P=0.036). Comparing the prevalence of MS in subjects with 8 or more stressful life events (46%) with those who experienced less than 8 stresses (23.4%) was indicative of a higher prevalence among the former (P=0.017). Conclusion: Cosidering the possible association between stresses and the prevalence of MS, which in turn increases the risk of heart diseases, educating high risk people on how to cope with stresses may be of benefit in CVD prevention.