Metabolic syndrome, a term for a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, has been linked to an increased risk of developing gastric cancer, a common cancer among Koreans, a study showed Tuesday.

People with metabolic syndrome had a 26 percent higher risk of developing gastric cancer, according to research led by professor Kang Dae-hee of the Preventive Medicine Department at Seoul National University College of Medicine. This risk was further increased when accompanied by smoking.

The study followed 108,397 people aged 40 to 69 years over an average of 9.1 years, during which 759 people were diagnosed with gastric cancer.

Metabolic syndrome is linked to an increased risk of developing gastric cancer because it can cause DNA damage and inflammation in the body, according to the study.

Kang said it is crucial to make lifestyle changes, such as changing eating habits, to prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome.

People diagnosed with metabolic syndrome are already at a higher risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or a stroke.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Korea was 27.9 percent among men and 17.9 percent among women in 2018, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Gastric cancer is Korea's fourth most common cancer, accounting for 10.8 percent of all cancers in 2020, data from the National Cancer Center Korea showed.

The research team has submitted the study to Gastric Cancer, a joint journal by the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association.