Heath and Fitness
Here’s Why and How to Fix Metabolic Syndrome to Live a Longer and Healthier Life.
Metabolic inflexibility underlies significant health issues.
To begin with, my title delivers its promise.
Metabolic syndrome is fixable by reducing and mitigating risk factors. We can live longer and happier as metabolic syndrome is an underlying risk factor for at least three common diseases: diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. In occasional cases, even more diseases manifest.
Let’s take a 30-thousand-foot view of metabolic syndrome. Once we understand the nature of this condition, its implications, and its impact, we can mitigate the risks using various approaches.
High blood pressure, high blood glucose, excessive abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels are the indicators of metabolic syndrome.
These indicators are measurable. Even though our healthcare professionals help us measure and monitor these tests, we can do self-monitoring too. At least three of the indicators of metabolic syndrome can be done through self-monitoring at home.
For example, we can measure our waistline with a measuring tape. It is feasible to purchase a simple blood pleasure monitoring device. We can also purchase a blood glucose monitor for home use.
When we visit a family doctor, they usually check the high blood pressure, especially before prescribing medication. However, they rarely check the waistline, which is one of the best indicators. So my point is if our doctor neglects it, we still have the option of measuring and recording our waistline regularly.
Apart from a large waist circumference, most of the disorders associated with metabolic syndrome might not show symptoms in healthy adults. Therefore, abdominal fat is a useful indicator of metabolic syndrome. The bigger the size of our belly, the higher the risk of metabolic syndrome.
This size also depends on gender. For an adult male, over 102 cm (40 inches) and for an adult female, 88 cm (35 inches) depicts the signs of metabolic syndrome. The bigger the number, the higher the risk can be.
Our metabolism’s flexibility and inflexibility determine our health and fitness quality. We need to be aware that significant diseases such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and even cancer indicate disruption of metabolism. In other words, metabolic issues can cause many diseases. Those diseases can shorten our lives.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2019, thousands of people died from these diseases. For example, 659,041 from heart disease, 599,601 from cancer, 150,005 from stroke, and 87,647 from diabetes.
Metabolism is a cellular process including chemical reactions for the conversion of food to energy. Macro-nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins can be turned into energy using various enzymes and micro-nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. We measure metabolic energy in the form of calories. Excessive and unused calories turn into body fat.
While creating vital energy for the survival of cells through various mechanisms, the metabolic process, such as digestion, also creates waste materials. Several organs, like the liver, kidneys, heart, and digestive system, play an essential role in removing those waste materials from the body.
We mainly produce energy through two macro-nutrients, carbohydrates and fats. Protein can also turn into energy, but its central role is to grow and fix the cells. In addition, our blood requires glucose, as many organs need glucose as an energy source.
Alternative energy for the body and the brain comes from fats. For the brain, the best alternative energy source comes from ketones, which are metabolized fats by the liver. I introduced this in several articles in my publication.
Our metabolism is also run by many hormones performing as signaling molecules. For example, since our blood constantly needs glucose and too much glucose is seen as toxic, the body regulates the blood glucose levels using a hormone called insulin. As soon as our blood glucose levels go above a threshold, insulin is released to distribute the glucose to various organs and muscle tissues.
Although many hormones play a role in metabolism, insulin is the master hormone running the metabolic show. It determines our fat stores. The more insulin is released and the longer it stays in the body, the bigger our fat stores get. Therefore, the larger our fat stores are, especially in the abdominal area, the bigger risk for metabolic syndrome.
Insulin itself is a neutral hormone and does not cause metabolic syndrome if it functions properly. However, when it is released too frequently and stays too long in the body due to excessive blood glucose, an undesirable condition called insulin resistance occurs.
In simple terms, as the muscles and organs cannot take more glucose and deny the requests from insulin, the body produces more insulin to manage the excessive blood glucose. This condition leads to type two diabetes.
Insulin resistance is a key indicator and one of the major causes of metabolic syndrome. When the body becomes insulin-resistant, metabolism is disrupted. As a result, the body cannot burn glucose and has to store it as fat molecules.
A healthy metabolism burns energy effectively. However, dented metabolism stores glucose as fat. This persistent storage makes our fat cells larger each day. As a result, more and more fat molecules are posited in various body parts, especially in the abdominal area. This condition is known as obesity.
According to the US CDC:
“People who have obesity, compared to those with a healthy weight, are at increased risk for many serious diseases and health conditions, including mortality, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, breathing problems, cancers, inflammation, pain, and mental disorders”.
What is the problem with obesity?
It is an issue for individuals and society. Apart from the suffering of individuals, CDC mentioned that “obesity and its associated health problems have a significant economic impact on the US health care system, including direct and indirect costs such ($147 billion in 2008).
The CDC points out that direct medical costs may include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services. Indirect costs relate to sickness and death and include lost productivity ($3.38 billion). Productivity measures include employees being absent from work for obesity-related health reasons, decreased productivity while at work, and premature death and disability”.
While our genes and environment play a role in obesity, individuals can significantly lower the risk of metabolic syndrome and reduce obesity. In addition, there are a few lifestyle changes to reduce metabolic syndrome.
The major one is balanced nutrition, providing adequate energy in healthy fats and carbohydrates and essential building blocks such as protein, minerals, and vitamins. Burning this energy using regular movement in workouts, chores, and festive activities is critical daily.
High-quality sleep, adequate rest, and effective stress management also reduce the risks of metabolic syndrome.
Fat loss, regular exercise, a healthy diet, and stopping cigarette smoke usually are the first prevention methods for many people. Removing toxins can also help. Fasting is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risks of metabolic syndrome by addressing the root cause of insulin resistance.
If we do all these things and still have symptoms of metabolic syndrome, it is essential to take personal responsibility and look for solutions. Providing we have a healthy lifestyle, in rare situations, nutritional supplementation, medication, and other medical interventions may be required.
The best approach is to ask for help from our healthcare professionals by discussing the risks openly.
Family doctors can help us obtain required tests and address issues via a customized plan created by various healthcare professionals such as dieticians, physiotherapists, psychologists, specialists, occupational therapists, stress managers, and even physical trainers. Our primary healthcare physician can refer us to these services.
Metabolic syndrome also has several other risk factors, such as age, ethnicity, and other diseases. For example, metabolic syndrome risk increases with the existence of fatty liver disease and sleep apnea. Therefore a holistic healthcare approach is essential.
In some countries, the governments fund some of these health services. However, there may be times we need to invest in some of these services. It is the reality of life.
Our health is the most precious element to survive and thrive. Being aware of the risks and leveraging the resources of our healthcare system can help us reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome proactively.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a happy and healthy life.
Please note that this story is not about health, diet, or nutrition advice. I shared my personal knowledge and experience for information purposes only. If you have symptoms of metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, obesity, or weight concerns, please consult your healthcare professionals, such as your qualified healthcare practitioners.
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I aim to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and write about various hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, adrenaline, glutamate, and histamine.
One of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.
To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.
Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Major Diseases.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.
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Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite
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