What are some of the main medical treatments for metabolic syndrome?

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    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    The main medical treatments for metabolic syndrome focus on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, starting with lifestyle changes and potentially followed by pharmacological therapies tailored to individual needs. These may include statins, GLP-1 receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, metformin, RAS blockers, and, in cases of severe obesity, bariatric surgery.

    The primary goal of clinical management is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.[1] Lifestyle interventions (i.e., changes in dietary and physical activity habits and smoking cessation) are the initial strategy to treat MetS, followed by pharmacological therapy — if necessary — to improve individual risk factors. There are no guidelines from medical organizations for the pharmacological treatment of MetS; pharmacological treatment depends on the individual’s unique circumstances and may include a statin to improve blood lipids, a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) or sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor to further reduce cardiovascular disease risk, metformin to increase insulin sensitivity, and/or a renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blocker to reduce blood pressure, among other drugs.[2][3][4] In people with severe obesity, bariatric surgery is a highly effective option.

    What are some of the main medical treatments for metabolic syndrome? - Examine