Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans, while diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death by disease in the United States. UT Southwestern initiated the study after detecting a trend in pilot-project data. High triglycerides are not a contributor to diabetes, but they have some cause. The growing obesity problem in the United States and around the world does not bode well for the incidence of the metabolic syndrome. Moderate obesity is associated with the overproduction of triglycerides, decreased HDL, elevated blood pressure and glucose intolerance, said Dr. Grundy.
Obesity can bring out the metabolic syndrome in people who are genetically predisposed to it.
The syndrome in turn promotes the development of coronary heart disease. A high blood-triglyceride level appears to be the earliest clinical sign of the metabolic syndrome. The identification of culprit genes could help us predict who will develop the metabolic syndrome and provide new targets for drug therapy. Study participants will give a blood sample and an extensive medical history. By the time they are diagnosed, they often have advanced coronary artery disease.