Cluster Bombs: Metabolic syndrome tied to heart disease deaths

Men with a certain cluster of metabolic characteristics are about three times as likely to die of heart disease as men without the traits are, according to a new study.

The cluster, called the metabolic syndrome or syndrome X, is made up of generally mild risk factors that often occur together, says Hanna-Maaria Lakka, who is currently at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.