The metabolic syndrome and associated dysregulation of blood glucose levels represent the most important factor for illness in the industrialized world. Even in low-income countries there are problems surrounding obesity / metabolic syndrome in parallel with malnutrition.
Overweight and obesity are also increasing in prevalence among children and youth. In the southern parts of Sweden, approximately 19% of preschool children are overweight or obese and about 20% of children and adolescents in the United States have disrupted blood fats related to metabolic syndrome. 31 million individuals in the EU are currently on drug treatment for disorders associated with the metabolic syndrome and in the United States the corresponding figure is around 80 million individuals.
In market terms, this means that products with beneficial effects on blood sugar regulation can be considered relevant to the whole population in the industrialized countries. The initial focus group, however, is at-risk individuals, including overweight and pre-diabetes.