Background:The indigenous Amerindian populations living in the southern interior part of Suriname have to date largely maintained their traditional hunter-gatherer life-style. In this study we compared the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MeTS) and its component risk factors between indigenous Amerindian women of the interior of Suriname, with indigenous Amerindian women living in the coastal-rural areas who have a more urbanized lifestyle. We focused on women since the Suriname Health study showed that Indigenous women had the second highest MeTS prevalence nationwide.