The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is relatively high across the globe. Approximately one-fourth to one-fifth of the population has metabolic syndrome, depending on age, gender, ethnicity, and defining criteria. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of risk factors which includes increased waist circumference, hyperglycemia, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia and decreased HDL cholesterol. This combination of risk factors is not accidental. There is a pattern of common occurrence of these factors suggesting a common pathophysiological mechanism. The greatest role in the development of metabolic syndrome have visceral obesity and insulin resistance. They lead to dyslipidemia, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, impaired glucose regulation and hypercoagulable state. Finally, they accelerate the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Metabolic syndrome is associated with 2-fold increased risk for cardiovascular diseases that are the main cause of death in the world. For this reason, it is listed in the European and global guidelines for assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease and plays an important role in identifying high-risk individuals with the goal of early treatment of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease prevention.