Skip to main content
  • More from ADA
    • Diabetes
    • Clinical Diabetes
    • Diabetes Spectrum
    • ADA Standards of Medical Care
    • ADA Scientific Sessions Abstracts
    • BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care
  • Subscribe
  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Follow ada on Twitter
  • RSS
  • Visit ada on Facebook
Diabetes Care

Advanced Search

Main menu

  • Home
  • Current
    • Current Issue
    • Online Ahead of Print
    • Special Article Collections
    • ADA Standards of Medical Care
  • Browse
    • By Topic
    • Issue Archive
    • Saved Searches
    • Special Article Collections
    • ADA Standards of Medical Care
  • Info
    • About the Journal
    • About the Editors
    • ADA Journal Policies
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Guidance for Reviewers
  • Reprints/Reuse
  • Advertising
  • Subscriptions
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions and Site Licenses
    • Access Institutional Usage Reports
    • Purchase Single Issues
  • Alerts
    • E­mail Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Podcast
  • Submit
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Journal Policies
    • Instructions for Authors
    • ADA Peer Review
  • More from ADA
    • Diabetes
    • Clinical Diabetes
    • Diabetes Spectrum
    • ADA Standards of Medical Care
    • ADA Scientific Sessions Abstracts
    • BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care

User menu

  • Subscribe
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Diabetes Care
  • Home
  • Current
    • Current Issue
    • Online Ahead of Print
    • Special Article Collections
    • ADA Standards of Medical Care
  • Browse
    • By Topic
    • Issue Archive
    • Saved Searches
    • Special Article Collections
    • ADA Standards of Medical Care
  • Info
    • About the Journal
    • About the Editors
    • ADA Journal Policies
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Guidance for Reviewers
  • Reprints/Reuse
  • Advertising
  • Subscriptions
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions and Site Licenses
    • Access Institutional Usage Reports
    • Purchase Single Issues
  • Alerts
    • E­mail Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
  • Podcast
  • Submit
    • Submit a Manuscript
    • Journal Policies
    • Instructions for Authors
    • ADA Peer Review
Letters: Comments and Responses

The Metabolic Syndrome (Emperor) Wears No Clothes

Response to Oda

  1. Richard Kahn, PHD
  1. From the American Diabetes Association, Alexandria, Virginia
  1. Address correspondence to Richard Kahn, PhD, American Diabetes Association, 1701 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311. E-mail: rkahn{at}diabetes.org
Diabetes Care 2006 Nov; 29(11): 2566-2567. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc06-1616
PreviousNext
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Response to Oda

The possible inclusion of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the metabolic syndrome algorithm highlights the problems of the construct itself. If the syndrome is supposed to be a predictive tool for future cardiovascular events, then we should indeed test the benefit of adding CRP, along with age, sex, race, adiponectin, homocysteine, etc. If the utility of the syndrome is to call attention to obesity, then there is no need for expensive laboratory tests. If the virtue is to predict diabetes, then a measure of glucose intolerance alone is better. If the syndrome is supposed to identify those with insulin resistance, then there are simpler ways to do so; however, measuring CRP might be helpful.

Dr. Oda (1) seems to have one purpose for the construct; others have different perspectives. The problem is that no one, not even the proponents themselves (2–4), have conveyed the exact utility of the syndrome and shown that it is better than or even equal to other approaches, and the critical issue, therefore, is why clinicians should even bother diagnosing metabolic syndrome in the first place.

Footnotes

  • DIABETES CARE

References

  1. ↵
    Oda E: The metabolic syndrome (emperor) wears no clothes (Letter). Diabetes Care 29:2566, 2006
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  2. ↵
    Alberti KG, Zimmet P, Shaw J: The metabolic syndrome: a new worldwide definition. Lancet 366:1059–1062, 2005
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  3. Grundy SM, Brewer HB Jr, Cleeman JI, Smith SC Jr, Lenfant C: Definition of metabolic syndrome: report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/American Heart Association conference on scientific issues related to definition. Circulation 109:433–438, 2004
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  4. ↵
    Grundy SM: Does the metabolic syndrome exist? (Commentary). Diabetes Care 29:1689–1692, 2006
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
View Abstract
PreviousNext
Back to top
Diabetes Care: 29 (11)

In this Issue

November 2006, 29(11)
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by Author
Sign up to receive current issue alerts
View Selected Citations (0)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about Diabetes Care.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The Metabolic Syndrome (Emperor) Wears No Clothes
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Diabetes Care
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the Diabetes Care web site.
Citation Tools
The Metabolic Syndrome (Emperor) Wears No Clothes
Richard Kahn
Diabetes Care Nov 2006, 29 (11) 2566-2567; DOI: 10.2337/dc06-1616

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Add to Selected Citations
Share

The Metabolic Syndrome (Emperor) Wears No Clothes
Richard Kahn
Diabetes Care Nov 2006, 29 (11) 2566-2567; DOI: 10.2337/dc06-1616
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Primary Aldosteronism in Diabetic Subjects With Resistant Hypertension
  • Primary Aldosteronism in Diabetic Subjects With Resistant Hypertension
  • Cigarette Smoking Is Associated With Low Glomerular Filtration Rate in Male Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Show more Letters: Comments and Responses

Similar Articles

Navigate

  • Current Issue
  • Standards of Care Guidelines
  • Online Ahead of Print
  • Archives
  • Submit
  • Subscribe
  • Email Alerts
  • RSS Feeds

More Information

  • About the Journal
  • Instructions for Authors
  • Journal Policies
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Advertising
  • Privacy Policy: ADA Journals
  • Copyright Notice/Public Access Policy
  • Contact Us

Other ADA Resources

  • Diabetes
  • Clinical Diabetes
  • Diabetes Spectrum
  • BMJ Open - Diabetes Research & Care
  • Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes
  • Scientific Sessions Abstracts
  • Professional Books
  • Diabetes Forecast

 

  • DiabetesJournals.org
  • Diabetes Core Update
  • ADA's DiabetesPro
  • ADA Member Directory
  • Diabetes.org

© 2019 by the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care Print ISSN: 0149-5992, Online ISSN: 1935-5548.