Nibbles: Predicting metabolic syndrome, and China’s growing obesity problem

Blood test helps predict syndrome A test that looks at damaged LDL cholesterol is a strong predictor of metabolic syndrome, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The test, developed in Belgium, checks the oxidation levels of cholesterol. About 1,800 people were involved in a study in which the test was used, and they were tested again after 15 years and then five years after that. Those who had the most damaged LDL at the 15-year mark were 3.5 times more likel