Iso H, Cui R, Takamoto I, et al. - By linking the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), researchers aimed at ascertaining the validity of risk classification, under the nationwide program on screening and lifestyle modification for metabolic syndrome, for capturing high‐risk individuals who could benefit from lifestyle interventions.

• From 10 prospective cohort studies, researchers retrieved individual‐level data of 29,288 Japanese individuals aged 40 to 74 years without a history of CVD for this study.

• The presence of high abdominal obesity and/or overweight plus risk factors such as high blood pressure, high triglyceride or low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and high blood glucose levels, defined metabolic syndrome.

• A total of 1,023 incident CVD cases (565 men and 458 women) were documented. Relative to nonobese/overweight individuals, men and women aged 40 to 64 years receiving an intensive support intervention are at 60% to 70% higher adjusted CVD risk, and women aged 65 to 74 years receiving a motivation‐support intervention are at 30% higher risk.

• Compared with the supernormal group, hazard ratios and population attributable fractions for nonobese/overweight individuals with risk factors were similar to those of individuals with metabolic syndrome; this implies the necessity for lifestyle modification in both high‐risk groups.