1. The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Elderly Taiwanese: Results from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1999-2000) Hsin-Jen Tsai 1 and Alan C Tsai 2 1 Dept. of Health Management, I-Shou Univ., Kaohsiung County 824, Taiwan 2 Dept. of Environ. Health Sci., Sch of Pub Health, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Abstract #150632 The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in elderly Taiwanese: results from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1999-2000) Hsin-Jen Tsai 1 and Alan C Tsai 2 1 Dept. of Health Management, I-Shou Univ., Kaohsiung County 824, Taiwan 2 Dept. of Environ. Health Sci., Sch of Pub Health, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Objectives: This study aims to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MtS) in elderly Taiwanese. Methods: Data were from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1999-2000) (NAHSIT-II), a national survey of non-institutionalized elderly (> 65 y) Taiwanese. The survey employed a multi-stage, stratified, and clustered probability sampling scheme. MtS is defined as having any 3 of the following 5 conditions: abdominal obesity (AO, waist > 90 cm for men & > 80 cm for women), hypertriglyceridemia (HTG, TG > 150 mg/dl), low serum HDL-C (HDL-C 130/DBP > 85 mmHg or use of antihypertensive agents), and hyperglycemia (HG, fasting glucose > 100 mg/dl or use of antidiabetic agents) according to the Dept. of Health of Taiwan. Results: Of the 2984 participants, 1568 completed both the questionnaire and clinical examination, and results showed that 39% of elderly met the definition of MtS. The proportions of elderly having AO, HTG, low HDL-C, HT and HG were 43.7, 27.5, 29.0, 60.2, and 59.1%, respectively. The proportions of elderly with low HDL-C and HT increased with age while the opposite is true for AO, HTG, and HG. Conclusion: The prevalence of MtS is high in elderly Taiwanese. The risk of MtS is associated with AO, HT and HG. (The authors acknowledge the Office of Nutrition Survey of Academia Sinica for providing the survey data). Objectives This study aims to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MtS) in elderly Taiwanese. Background The society in Taiwan continues to age and the relative proportion of elderly people increase rapidly. Health status of elderly people is closely related to their dietary pattern and nutritional status. The Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1999-2000) (NAHSIT-II) was a national survey and conducted to: (1) assess the status of diet, nutrition, and health of persons aged 65 and over in Taiwan. (2) investigate dietary and non-dietary factors in influencing the dietary pattern and nutritional and health status of the elderly persons. (3) gain an understanding of knowledge, attitudes and practice related nutrition in elderly. (4) evaluate the effect of all of knowledge, attitudes and practice related nutrition on health. Methods Data were from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (1999-2000) (NAHSIT-II), a national survey conducted to gain an understanding of health status of non-institutionalized elderly (> 65 y) Taiwanese. The survey employed a multi-stage, stratified, and clustered probability sampling scheme. All Taiwanese civilian citizens 65 years or older residing in Taiwan on January 1, 1999 were eligible for this study. Those residing in military institutions, hospitals, nursing home or other institutions during the period of recruitment were excluded. A total of 2028 persons with equal number of men and women were recruited to participate in the study. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Academia Sinica and Department of Health, Taiwan. All participants signed consent forms. The study included two components: an in-home in-person questionnaire interview and a physical examination. Anthropometric measurements included height, weight, waist circumstance, hip circumstance, and skin-fold thickness. At local work-stations, each subject was sampled for a fasting blood specimen containing sodium fluoride and heparin for analysis of whole blood glucose and another containing EDTA (as an anticoagulant) for measurements of all other plasma parameters. The EDTA- containing blood was centrifuged to separate plasma which was aliquoted, frozen in a liquid nitrogen tank and then delivered to the Academia Sinica for storage at -70°C until time of analysis. Frozen plasma samples were then used for analyses of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), TG, LDL-C and CRP in project-approved clinical laboratories. Results Of the 2028 participants, 1568 completed both the questionnaire and clinical examination. According to Taiwan criteria, the proportions of elderly having AO, HTG, low HDL-C, HT and HG were 43.7, 27.5, 29.0, 60.2, and 59.1%, respectively. According to US criteria, the proportions of elderly having AO, HTG, low HDL-C, HT and HG were 16.1, 27.5, 29.0, 60.2, and 32.3%, respectively. The proportions of elderly with low HDL-C and HT increased with age while the opposite is true for AO, HTG, and HG. Results showed that 9.4, 24.2, 27.2, 21.6, 12.4, and 5.3% of elderly had one to five components of metabolic syndromes, respectively. Nearly 39% of elderly met the definition of MtS according to modified criteria. Conclusion The prevalence of MtS (nearly 39%) is high in elderly Taiwanese. The risk of MtS is associated with AO, HT and HG.