 A long-term researcher into diabetes, he achieved significant notability with his 1988 Banting Lecture (organized annually by the American Diabetes Association in memory of Frederick Banting).In his lecture, he propounded the theory that central obesity (male-type or apple-shaped obesity), diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) have a common cause in insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance.Initially titled "syndrome X", the constellation of symptoms is now known as the metabolic syndrome and an object of extensive scientific inquiry, especially given that the combination strongly predisposes for cardiovascular disease.