The association of Sasang constitutional types with metabolic syndrome: A pooled analysis of data from three cohorts

Introduction Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a highly prevalent condition, which is considered to be a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Sasang constitutional types (SCTs) are divided into four distinct types which are classified by specific physical, physiological, pharmacological, and psychological characteristics. Methods In this study, we performed a pooled analysis to assess the relationship between MetS and SCTs using data from two community-based cohorts and one clinical database of Sasang constitution. The 1421, 1547, and 2279 individuals who participated in the Ansung cohort, Ansan cohort, and Korean Constitutional Multicenter Bank, respectively, were analyzed. The participants were classified into SCTs using the integrated diagnostic model. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Results The prevalence of MetS according to the SCTs in the combined data was 14.1% for the So-eum (SE)-type, 26.7% for the So-yang (SY)-type, and 50.8% for the Tae-eum (TE)-type. In the combined data set, the odds ratios of having MetS was 2.05-fold greater (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62–2.60; P < 0.0001) for the TE-type, and 1.41-fold greater (95% CI, 1.13–1.76; P = 0.0026) for the SY-type than the SE-type. Conclusions This study found that TE- and SY-types were significantly associated with a risk of MetS.