The metabolic syndrome condition is characterized by a fairly high degree of oxidative damage that is usually manifest by a dramatic collapse of cellular antioxidant defenses, with mainly a decrease in the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase and a concomitant increase in malondialdehyde levels, lipid peroxidation degree, protein carbonylation, and xanthine oxidase activity [43]. The gene discussed is XDH; the disease is metabolic syndrome.