The health hazards of obesity are well established. However, the fact that all obese individuals are not at equal risk of developing a disease is being increasingly recognized. The regional distribution of body fat has been identified as an important component of the obesity-related health hazards. Among obese individuals, those who accumulate fat predominantly in the abdominal area are more likely to present several metabolic perturbations of the metabolic syndrome, such as increased plasma triacylglycerol and apolipoprotein B concentrations, an elevated ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol, reduced plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations, and small, dense LDL particles. This short review focuses on the risk associated with specific features of metabolic syndrome with use of data from the Québec Cardiovascular Study, an ongoing prospective study of traditional and nontraditional risk factors for ischemic heart disease in men. Recent data on the effect of conjugated linoleic acid on risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome are briefly reviewed. Data available to date suggest that conjugated linoleic acid might not be an appropriate dietary alternative for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and its complications.