The objective of this study was to verify the clustering of anthropometric and metabolic variables related to metabolic syndrome, by sex. Data were collected from 579 subjects aged 18-94 years living in two rural areas of Brazil. Factor analysis was performed using principal components analysis with varimax orthogonal rotation. The study reduced a complex set of cardiovascular risk factor into 3 independent factors, each reflecting a different aspect of metabolic syndrome. In both sexes, factor 1 related to obesity and dyslipidemia, factor 2 to obesity and blood pressure, and factor 3 to obesity and insulin resistance. The total variance explained for men and women was, respectively, 66.61% and 68.98%. The findings corroborate the hypothesis that at least 3 pathophysiological domains act in the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors related to metabolic syndrome in this population.
Metabolic Syndrome X; Obesity; Rural Population
