A South Korean scholar has found the genetic mutation that causes metabolic syndrome.

Kookmin University said Tuesday that Professor Koh Kwang-woong at the Department of Food and Nutrition and a research team at Yale University found a genetic mutation in a certain protein among patients with obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The researchers concluded that mutated genes in protein “Dyrk1B” raises the risk of metabolic syndrome.

The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of medical conditions associated with obesity that increase the risk of heart attack or diabetes. The symptoms include abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure and hyperlipidemia.