ReviewCureus2026
The Global Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Adults and Its Association With Lifestyle Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Natural Ellagitannins as Potential Therapeutic Agents for Metabolic Syndrome-Related Disorders.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Osteoporosis Beyond Awareness: Cross-National Differences in Preventive Deficits, Pharmacological Exposure, and Risk Clustering in Romania and Tunisia.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Quantifying Metabolic Syndrome Severity: Methodological Evolution, Clinical Validation, and Translational Perspectives.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors that poses a significant and growing global public health challenge. Lifestyle behaviors play a central role in its development; however, a comprehensive quantitative synthesis of global prevalence and associated lifestyle factors remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled global prevalence of MetS in adults and examine its association with key modifiable lifestyle behaviors. Five electronic databases were systematically searched for observational studies published between 2015 and 2025 in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. Prevalence estimates were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and associations between lifestyle factors and MetS were synthesized using pooled effect sizes (odds ratios [ORs] and standardized mean differences where applicable). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic, and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential moderators. Ten observational studies comprising 54,709 participants were included. The pooled global prevalence of MetS was 32% (95% CI: 22%-43%), although heterogeneity was substantial (I² = 98.72%). Physical inactivity was consistently associated with increased odds of MetS (representative OR range across studies: 1.25-2.15), while adherence to recommended physical activity levels was protective (e.g., OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.42-0.98). Poor diet quality, smoking, short and long sleep duration, and alcohol consumption were also associated with higher MetS risk. Subgroup analyses by diagnostic criteria, geographic region, gender distribution, and mean age did not significantly explain between-study heterogeneity. Although adverse lifestyle behaviors are consistently linked to increased MetS risk across adult populations, the magnitude of association varies considerably due to substantial unexplained heterogeneity and possible publication bias. These findings support lifestyle modification as a key preventive strategy while highlighting the need for cautious interpretation of pooled estimates.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.