Low cardio/respiratory fitness as an independent predictor of metabolic syndrome in Korean young men

Little information is available regarding the relationship between cardio/respiratory fitness (CRF) and metabolic risk factors in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to compare metabolic risk factors and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) across CRF levels in young Korean men. In a cross-sectional study, we examined 909 Korean young men (mean age 24.0 ± 2 years) who were apparently healthy, free of any diagnosed chronic diseases, not taking any medications, and who had completed all the requested measurements. Body composition, resting blood pressures, and fasting blood levels of lipids, glucose, and insulin were measured with our standardized laboratory protocols. CRF was quantified as the maximum volume of minute oxygen uptake measured during a graded treadmill test. Group analyses showed that men with moderate to high CRF levels had more favorable profiles in terms of body composition, resting blood pressures, mean values in fasting lipids, glucose, and insulin as well as the homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance than men with a low CRF level. After adjusting for age, smoking, and percent body fat, the low and moderate CRF groups had odds of 4.64 (95% CI 2.00–10.79) and 2.57 (95% CI 1.04–6.34) respectively for having the MS compared to the high CRF group. These findings suggest that low CRF is positively and independently associated with the MS in Korean young men.