Factor analysis among non-diabetic elderly showed two factors for men (body size/insulin resistance, blood pressure/lipids) and three for women (body size, lipids, blood pressure). Among diabetic subjects, three factors emerged for men (body size/lipids/insulin resistance, body size/blood pressure, glucose) and four for women (body size/lipids/insulin resistance, lipids, body size/glucose/insulin resistance, lipids/blood pressure). For non-diabetic men and women, the body size factor (body size/insulin resistance factor for men) was strongly associated with diabetes incidence (OR = 2.30, 95 % CI 1.41–3.74 and OR = 2.06, 95 % CI 1.33–3.17, respectively).
This study confirms that the metabolic syndrome (MetS) does not recognize one single underlying factor in an elderly cohort and that the obesity factor is a strong predictor of development of new onset diabetes.