The frequency of metabolic syndrome showed a large variability when using a variety of published definitions; in contrast, the optimal cut-off points for fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and two-hour oral glucose tolerance test insulin were very similar in almost all the definitions considered and had adequate diagnostic performance: area under the curve >0.869, sensitivity >0.835 and specificity >0.755. This evidence concerns the gene INS and metabolic syndrome.