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Understanding Metabolic Syndrome: Causes, Treatments, and Lifestyle Changes
Paula Gallagher on
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors that increase your chance of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The condition is also known by other names, including Syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome, and dysmetabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is increasingly common, and according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1 in 3 American adults have it.
Risk Factors and Diagnosis
To find out whether your have metabolic syndrome, your health care practitioner will ask whether you or others in your family have any symptoms or risk factors. They may also ask you about your diet and whether you exercise regularly. They will also look at the following factors.
Large Waist Circumference
A predominance of abdominal fat, also known as an apple body shape, significantly increases your risk of developing coronary artery disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. Women who have a waist bigger than 35 inches (90 cm) and men who have more than a 40-inch waist (100 cm) are at particularly high risk. If you have a strong family history of diabetes, high cholesterol or early coronary artery disease, the size of your at-risk waist circumference may be even lower than these numbers.
Elevated Fasting Blood Sugar
Discuss with your doctor how often you’ll need to get tested, based on your age, general health, and other risk factors. If you have a strong family history of diabetes, have high blood pressure, are overweight, or have any other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, you’ll need to be screened more regularly.
- A healthy blood sugar level for adults after 8 to 12 hours of fasting (not eating) is between 70 and 99 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter – the units used to measure blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol).
- If your fasting blood sugar level is between 100–125 mg/dL, you have high blood sugar, or prediabetes.
- If your fasting blood sugar level is 126 mg/dL or higher, you may have diabetes, a condition of metabolic syndrome. Also, you may have metabolic syndrome if you are taking medicines to treat high blood sugar or diabetes.
Normally if your blood sugar goes up – for example, when you drink a sugary drink – your pancreas responds by producing insulin. The insulin drives sugar from your blood into your cells, which in turn metabolize it.
People with metabolic syndrome typically have high levels of insulin resistance, which means that the insulin produced in response to high blood sugar no longer drives sugar into cells as effectively. This results in both elevated insulin and chronically high blood sugar levels, ultimately developing into diabetes.
Increased Blood Pressure
Most doctors will diagnose you as having high blood pressure if your readings regularly read at or above 140/90. However, an average reading of 130/85 or more qualifies as a risk for metabolic syndrome.
Reduced HDL cholesterol
You’ve probably heard HDL cholesterol referred to as “good” cholesterol. It’s protective against cardiovascular disease. HDL levels of 60 mg/dL and above can help lower your risk of heart disease.
You may have high blood cholesterol, one of the conditions of metabolic syndrome, if your HDL cholesterol levels are lower than 50 mg/dL for women and lower than 40 mg/dL for men.
Increased Triglyceride Levels
Your practitioner will normally test your triglyceride levels alongside the other standard cholesterol tests. These fats circulate in our blood and our body makes use of them for energy. Healthy blood triglyceride levels are less than 150 mg/dL for adults. You may have high blood triglycerides, one of the conditions of metabolic syndrome, if your triglyceride levels are consistently more than 150 mg/dL.The higher your triglyceride levels, the higher the risk of insulin resistance as well.
Complications of Metabolic Syndrome
When we think of high blood sugar, elevated blood pressure and increased fat and cholesterol in our blood, we may also worry about heart disease, but may not even be aware of the dangers of metabolic syndrome. Yet this cluster of risk factors that lead to metabolic syndrome can have a powerfully negative impact on our life and health.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, people who qualify as having metabolic syndrome have five times the risk of developing diabetes and are twice as likely to die from it. They also have three times the risk of heart attack or stroke and have double the risk of dying from one of these, compared to people who don’t have the syndrome.
Preventing Metabolic Syndrome
Lifestyle factors play a huge role in the development of this condition, making it highly preventable and treatable with lifestyle modifications and the adoption of healthier habits. Whether you already have metabolic syndrome, are on your way to developing it, or would simply like to minimize your risk, there are several key things that you can do.
Lose Weight
Losing as little as 10% of your weight can lower insulin levels, decrease blood pressure and reduce the probability of developing diabetes.
Exercise
Research has shown that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is approaching a staggering 50% in post-menopausal women. Thankfully, research has also found that lifestyle modification such as weight loss and low-intensity exercise significantly lowered the risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
Daily walks are a good start toward avoiding this syndrome. Go at a moderate pace that requires a bit of effort and work up to at least 30 minutes, 5 to 7 days a week.
Stop Smoking
Smoking dramatically increases the damage to the body caused by high blood sugar, high blood pressure and increased cholesterol, and it immensely amplifies your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Eat a whole food-based Mediterranean-style diet. A diet based on whole foods, especially whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and olive oil characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, has been shown to prevent metabolic syndrome.
There are numerous reasons for this, including the powerful anti-inflammatory effect of healthy fats and the ability of fiber to reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol.
The Role of Supplements
In general, any supplement that has been proven to lower blood sugar or cholesterol, or that benefits the cardiovascular system, should have a positive impact.
Fish oil: Fish oil containing high levels of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA provides a broad spectrum of benefits, from boosting mood to preventing heart disease. More specific attributes of fish oil related to metabolic syndrome include improving glucose metabolism and decreasing triglycerides.
Fiber: Whether you increase this by choosing fiber-rich foods or by taking a high-fiber supplement, virtually any type of fiber will have a positive impact on metabolic syndrome.
Green tea: The active ingredient in green tea extract, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is truly astonishing in its ability to benefit the human body. In addition to boosting metabolism, green tea has been shown to enhance insulin action and promote optimal blood sugar levels, as well as reduce fat cell creation and triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
Be sure to check with your doctor or licensed health practitioner before trying these and any other supplements or treatments.
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