Two top organizations in the fight against diabetes said they doubt that a condition known as metabolic syndrome exists. The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes said that doctors should not diagnose patients with the condition until more evidence is available. The announcement is a blow for pharma companies, such as Sanofi-Aventis, hoping to increase sales by marketing treatments for the condition. Metabolic syndrome is commonly said to be in effect when a person has three or more of the following conditions: a large waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, low levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and high blood glucose.
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