Why are life insurance and LTC companies concerned about the metabolic syndrome?
• The increased risk of the metabolic syndrome is greater than the sum of the individual components. This means that the collective impact of the 5 risk factors is greater than simply adding them up. This increased risk synergy is exemplified in a study published in a 2001 issue of Diabetic Care. Isomaa et al reported on 4500 participants in a family study of type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome increased risk of CHD and stroke 3-fold. The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was increased by 5-fold. These findings were in excess of what would be expected by simply adding up the individual components. • The unchecked epidemic of obesity in the United States shows no signs of abating. With 30% of the US population classified as obese and another 34% classified as over weight, carriers need accurate risk assessment tools to predict the adverse impact on morbidity and mortality. About 50-60% of obese persons have the metabolic syndrome. The current estimate is that 47 million Amer
