Metabolic Syndrome: What it is, What to do About It
by www.SixWise.com
It's estimated that one in three Americans suffers from a
condition that Steven Nissen, M.D., a cardiologist at the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, has dubbed the "disease
of the new millennium."
Metabolic syndrome, as it's more commonly known, is actually
a name used to describe a group of symptoms, or "metabolic
risk factors." These symptoms increase the risk of a
number of diseases, including:
|
Storing fat around your abdomen is a component of metabolic
syndrome.
|
-
Coronary heart disease
-
Stroke
-
Type 2 diabetes
-
Breast cancer
-
Infertility
In all, it's thought that over 50 million Americans have
it, but the syndrome (also known as syndrome X and insulin
resistance syndrome) often goes undetected.
Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome
Having any one of the following conditions increases your
health risks; the more conditions you have, the greater your
risk. The National Institutes of Health says that metabolic
syndrome begins with three or more of the following symptoms:
-
A waist circumference greater than 35 inches in women
and 40 inches in men
-
An HDL
(good) cholesterol level lower than 50 in women and
40 in men
-
Blood pressure of 130 over 80 or greater
-
Fasting blood sugar between 110 and 126
- Triglycerides (a form of fat in the bloodstream) over
150
"Each of the five elements that make up metabolic syndrome
increases your risk of heart disease and stroke," says
Daniel Einhorn, M.D., medical director of the Scripps Whittier
Institute for Diabetes in La Jolla, California. "But
the combination of the five makes your risks especially high."
Underlying Cause of Metabolic Syndrome
It's thought that insulin resistance is what's behind metabolic
syndrome. The food you eat normally gets broken down into
sugar (glucose), which enters your cells for fuel. Insulin
is made by your pancreas to help the glucose enter cells.
However, if you are insulin resistant, your cells don't respond
to the insulin, and, as a result, your body keeps making more
and more of it. The end result is an increased level of both
insulin and glucose in the blood. Although in metabolic syndrome
the levels may not be high enough to qualify as diabetes,
they still interfere with your body's normal functions by:
According to the Mayo Clinic, one study found that men with
three factors of metabolic syndrome had close to twice the
risk of having a heart attack and three times the risk of
developing heart disease as those with no factors.
|
Exercising for 30-60 minutes almost everyday is a key
way to prevent, and treat, metabolic syndrome.
|
Factors That Increase Your Risk
There are several factors that raise the risk of metabolic
syndrome.
Age: Forty percent of people in their 60s have metabolic
syndrome, compared to under 10 percent in their 20s. However,
while the risk of metabolic syndrome does increase with age,
younger people can be affected. One study found, according
to the Mayo Clinic, that one in eight schoolchildren already
have three or more components of the disease.
Race: Hispanics and Asians have a greater risk than
other races.
Obesity: Having a body mass index (BMI) over 25 increases
the risk, as does abdominal fat (an "apple" body
shape).
History of diabetes: A family history of type 2 diabetes
or gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) increases
the risk.
Other diseases: Diseases including high blood pressure,
heart
disease or polycystic ovary syndrome increase the risk.
What to do if You Have Metabolic Syndrome
Experts recommend aggressive lifestyle changes when it comes
to metabolic syndrome. The three key changes are:
-
Exercising for 30-60 minutes a day, at a moderate intensity
level.
-
Losing
weight. Even losing just 5 percent to 10 percent of
your body weight reduces insulin levels, blood pressure
and your risk of diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- Quitting smoking, if you do. Smoking increases insulin
resistance and worsens metabolic syndrome.
How to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome
The keys to preventing metabolic syndrome are the same as
those for preventing many other types of disease:
- Eat a healthy diet, which focuses on fruits and vegetables
and lean meats. Fiber-rich
foods can also help reduce insulin levels.
In fact, one Harvard Medical School study found that
people with high-fiber diets had a much lower risk of
developing metabolic syndrome.
Eating healthy also means avoiding
processed foods, fried foods and excess sweets, and
experimenting
with healthy herbs and spices.
-
Exercise, about 30-60 minutes, most days of the week.
-
Monitor
your health. Check your blood sugar, blood pressure
and cholesterol levels on a regular basis. If they are
no longer in the healthy ranges, make additional positive
changes to your diet and activity level.
Recommended Reading
Chromium:
It May Help Prevent Heart Attacks, Improve Cholesterol &
Much More ... So Are You Getting Enough?
Chronic
Sinusitis: What it is, What the Symptoms Are, Common Treatments,
Potential Cures
Sources
The
Mayo Clinic: Metabolic Syndrome
The
Mysterious Metabolic Syndrome
American
Heart Association: Metabolic Syndrome