In this longitudinal study, the relationship between weight fluctuation (WF) and metabolic syndrome incidence (based on National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III clinical criteria) was studied in 13,017 men and women of the “SUpplémentation en VItamines et Minéraux Anti-oXydants” (SU.VI.MAX) study. WF was found to be a significant risk factor for the metabolic syndrome and most of its components. This relationship was independent of relative weight change and other potential confounders. Subjects in the top tertile of WF had a two-fold increase in metabolic syndrome risk compared to the bottom tertile after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, education level, physical activity, and relative weight change. Subjects without WF had the highest weight gain during follow-up and were therefore at risk for the metabolic syndrome compared to subjects in the bottom tertile of WF. No interaction was found between WF and weight change on the risk for metabolic syndrome or each of its components. These results support the benefits of weight maintenance and emphasize the importance of preventing weight gain from early adulthood in order to prevent metabolic syndrome incidence and its associated co-morbidities.
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