Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in normal glucose tolerant brazilian adolescents with family history of type 2 diabetes.

M etabolic syndrome increases risk for cardiovascular disease (1,2). The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in patients might hold promise for enhanced prevention of cardiovascular disease. Currently, there is no consensus on the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents, with variable prevalence of metabolic syndrome from 4.2 to 32% in several populations (3–5). The highest rates of metabolic syndrome were found in adolescents with Latino or African backgrounds (3,6). However, this racial/ethnic predisposition to metabolic syndrome is not well defined. The Brazilian population has a high degree of miscegenation that includes a mix of indigenous people, Afroand Euro-Brazilians, and a widespread Latin ancestry. We do not know if this genetic and environmental diversity can modify the prevalence of metabolic syndrome or its relationship to obesity. In this study, we determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a group of Brazilian adolescents with a family history of type 2 diabetes.