Objective To explore the correlation between metabolic syndrome and renal function in physical examination population. Methods The data of individual physical examination in West China Hospital from March to April 2015 was collected. Body mass index (BMI), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were calculated, and the correlation between metabolic syndrome and renal function was analyzed by using SPSS 16.0 software. Results A total of 10 098 individuals were included, of which 1 110 were MS patients were included. The results of analysis showed that, the levels of uric acid, cholesterol, urea and creatinine in MS group were significantly higher than those in non-MS group, and the level of GFR was significantly lower than that in non-MS group (P < 0.05). Renal function in patients with abnormal systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (FBG), low density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid index were significantly higher than those in normal renal function group, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower than that of normal renal function group (P < 0.01). Conclusion Elevated levels of BMI, blood pressure, glucose, uric acid are correlated with the decrease of GFR, and metabolic syndrome is an important risk factor of renal dysfunction.