Kjellberg E, et al. - Given that metabolic syndrome represents a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, researchers conducted this study to determine if otherwise healthy 6-year-old children demonstrated metabolic alterations. From 2008-2011, investigators followed up a representative Swedish population-based cohort of full-term infants recruited on the maternity ward at Hallands Hospital Halmstad, Sweden (n=22). They found that waist circumference identified children at high risk of metabolic syndrome superior to body mass index. Compared with children with normal waist circumferences, those with high waist circumferences had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. Based on the results of this study, a significant percentage of 6-year-old children exhibited abnormal metabolic profiles, including insulin resistance, which raised their risk of cardiovascular disease.