The VA HDL Intervention trial (VA-HIT) was a multicenter, placebo controlled, randomized trial that showed that gemfibrozil significantly reduced major cardiovascular events in 2531 men with coronary heart disease, low levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. In addition to its unique lipid profile, the VA-HIT population also had a high prevalence of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose, or high fasting plasma insulin; central obesity; and hypertension, which are all components (together with high triglycerides and low HDL-cholesterol) of a constellation of risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome. Since prior clinical trials have not enrolled this type of population, the VA- HIT database is a unique resource.