Review links H. pylori infection with metabolic syndrome

(HealthDay)—Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with metabolic syndrome, according to a review and meta-analysis published online June 7 in the Journal of Digestive Diseases.

Sikarin Upala, M.D., from the Bassett Medical Center and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in Cooperstown, N.Y., and colleagues conducted a systematic review to quantify the effect of H. pylori infection on the risk of metabolic syndrome. A total of 18 trials comprising 27,544 participants met the inclusion criteria; data from six trials were included in the analysis of metabolic syndrome.

The researchers identified a significant correlation between H. pylori and metabolic syndrome, with a pooled odds ratio of 1.34. There were significant differences in fasting blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, triglycerides, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and systolic blood pressure between the H. pylori-infected and non-infected groups (all P < 0.05).

"Further randomized controlled trials are required to determine the effect of H. pylori eradication on the improvement of metabolic syndrome or metabolic markers and to determine the causal relationship," the authors write.