BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is considered a very important factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in outpatients undergoing secondary prevention of coronary artery disease in the Institute of Cardiology, University Foundation of Cardiology – IC-UFC, as well as to detect excess weight through body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of abdominal obesity in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: The final sample was comprised of 151 individuals (aged between 26 and 84 years) whose data were obtained from the first visit in which the following parameters were available: fasting blood tests, blood pressure (BP) measurement, waist circumference (WC) in centimeters, weight and height, gender and age. The NCEP-ATP III criteria were used for the assessment of MS. RESULTS: 64.9% of the sample was comprised of males. The overweight and obesity rates found were 50% and 21.3%, respectively; increased WC was found in 30.8% of the individuals, 20 of whom were men and 25 were women. The prevalence of MS, as diagnosed according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria, was 61.5%, including 54 men and 39 women. CONCLUSION: We verified that the prevalence of MS in patients with CVD in the outpatient clinic for secondary prevention of CAD at IC-UFC is high, and so are the prevalences of overweight, obesity and increased WC.